Day 3218

I was determined to give Dash a walk this morning. I kept watching the weather radar and eventually I saw what looked like a temporary break in the weather. I got Dash suited up in his protective gear as quickly as I could and off we went. We got lucky this time. Even though it rained most of the day, we managed to find 45 minutes when it was relatively dry.

Members of the little circus were trying to reposition their tent when we passed them this morning. They seemed determined as well. Despite the rain, it looked like they were trying to get ready for a show tonight. Lots of luck with that. It think it's time to build an ark. The bad weather going to continue for the rest of the week.

Just before I went to bed last night, our Internet and TV service was restored. Oddly at about exactly the same time the TV started working again, the security light in the back yard went out. The light has been working well for several months now, so I'd almost forgotten that it used to be a big problem. Hopefully the photo cell in the security light and our U-verse service will not be a problem tonight. I need the light so I can see where Dash poops at night and I need the TV so I can watch Perry Mason as I go to sleep.

The leak in the living roof stopped dripping around noon. The fact that this is a small leak will probably make it even harder to find. I keep trying to look at the bright side. I guess a small leak is better than a large leak. It's had to find a bright side to incontinence. Even though Dash got a nice walk today, it didn't prevent him from pooping in the house. Once this morning, he walked toward the open back door, sniffed the air for a while, and then turned around and immediately pooped in the kitchen.

I meant to pay bills today, but yesterday's soggy letters still weren't dry yet. You'd think soggy mail would give me the final push I need to start paying bills online, but for some reason I still prefer going to the post office. Since I couldn't pay bills, I wrote my Luddite sister and told her that I'd become a Luddite too.

I hope my auction goes well tomorrow. There's another auction in December and a final one next Spring. I had hoped that auctioning most of the art would make it easier for me to get rid of other things, but decluttering still seems like a monumental job. We'll see how much progress I've made this time next year.

It was nice to see the market rebound today. I'm glad I didn't panic and sell everything last week. I'm probably just going to have to learn to live with uncertainty. The world isn't going to return to normal any time soon. Sadly, the only thing that seems normal anymore are those old TV shows from the 50's and 60's I watch while I'm going to sleep. It's weird that those old Twilight Zone shows that used to scare me as a kid, seem naively simple now. Rod Serling's little morality plays almost seem like Sunday School stories. Call me crazy, but I still prefer the Twilight Zone to Black Mirror. The Eisenhower years are looking better and better.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3217

This was one of those day when you couldn't help but wonder what was going to go wrong next. The relentless rain has caused the roof to start leaking again. Dash was restless because he wasn't able to take his walks. We had lots of pooping in the house today. During breakfast, the Internet, phones, and TV all went out. Later in the day I discovered that lightning had struck a major AT&T facility and started a fire. Most of Dallas and Fort Worth is still without service. If that wasn't enough, the temperature was in the low forties all day. This was the coldest and wettest October 15th on record.

There isn't much you can do when it's raining cats and dogs and your Internet and TV are out. I was finally able to connect the TV to an antenna so I could receive a few over-the-air stations and I can still connect to the Internet over 4G using my phone. U-verse and WiFi are gone though. Who knows when service will be restored.

I felt sorry for Dash today. Every time he went outside to pee, he got soaked. I kept a towel by the door so I could dry him off when he came back inside. I'm glad he still pees outside. When we were dealing with Dot's incontinence, it seemed like the pee often made a bigger mess than the poop. I could tell that Dash really missed his walks today. Even though he has to wear a knee brace for a partial cruciate tear and rubber boots to keep his paws from bleeding, the walks are still special. This is probably his one opportunity during the day to sniff things and feel like a normal dog again.

Every time I hook the TV up to an external antenna, I wonder who watches these over-the-air stations. It's definitely a weird selection. We can receive ABC and CBS, but NBC is too far away, since the transmitter is located in Fort Worth. The signal from PBS is too weak to receive and I don't know where the rest of the channels originate from. There seem to be a lot of Asian channels, including one Vietnamese channel. QVC has an over the air channel and so do several televangelists. No wonder people still pay for cable. Watching over the air television is like visiting the Twilight Zone.

I'd like to think that things will improve tomorrow, but I'm not counting on it. According to the weather forecast there won't be a break in the rain for at least 48 hours. They say it might stop raining for a little while on Wednesday, but then it will resume again for the rest of the week. I just hope we don't lose power. I was bored today, but at least it was nice and warm inside. I don't even want to think about spending the week without power. It's very cold outside.

When the mail came today, it was so soggy that I couldn't even open the letters. I set everything on baking trays so it could dry. Five hours later, most of the mail was still soggy. I haven't even been able to call AT&T about our U-verse service because their customer service lines are down as well. Hopefully, something will improve tomorrow. Dash keeps looking at me like he expects me to stop the rain. I keep trying to explain to him that I don't have any superpowers.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3216

The roof has quit leaking. The little circus in the park is trying to move their tent to higher ground. It's time to regroup and start over. I guess that's what weekends are for.

There was still some rain today, but the showers were light and didn't do any damage. Dash did a little bit of damage by pooping in the bed again, but it was our fault for sleeping in. These accidents tend to happen on weekends more often. I should have gotten up at 5 AM and taken him outside like I do on weekdays. I was asleep though. Without an alarm in the morning, I am always asleep.

I cleaned up the mess, put Dash's blankets in the laundry, and took him on a walk. Almost immediately, a small loose dog in a neighbor's yard scared him and we returned to the house. I got Janet to help me convince him that everything was OK, and off we went again. We took a different route and encountered no dogs this time.

After breakfast, I went to the gym, stopping to check out an REI sale on the way. I like high quality outdoor gear, but I need nothing. After wandering around the store for ten minutes, I bought two pair of socks. I don't even need socks.

The gym seems to have done a better job of solving their roof leak problem than I have. Even though there was a tremendous amount of rain yesterday, there was no sign of a leak when I arrived this morning. I wonder if I'll ever manage to go to the gym more than once a week? Even though other people seem to have no problem going daily, I just can't seem to find the time. Maybe I'm doing just fine. Very few people spend more time outdoors walking their dog. Even though Dash is very slow now, it's still good exercise for both of us.

I finally received a letter from NASA saying that they had postponed their event in Houston. That's good. Maybe when the event is rescheduled, I'll still make the cut. Of all the ways I can waste my time during retirement, becoming a space groupie and traveling to launches and events still seems like a good idea to me. I'm still hoping to get selected for once of these events.

I might like to visit old railroads too. I watched a show about scenic railroads on PBS this afternoon and it reminded me that I still like trains. I've traveled across the country several times on a train and the trips still bring back pleasant memories. I can't recall a single pleasant memory associated with flying.

There is still lots of rain in the forecast for next week. Enough already. I can't even remove the buckets from the living room floor until this rainy spell is over. There's another big auction in New York next week. I hope my art will do well. Maybe watching the auction online will help alleviate the cabin fever I get on rainy days. One way or another, we'll get through the week. I just want to see blue sky again.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3215

What a mess. The rain was relentless today. Just as I predicted, the roof started to leak again. Lately, it's been leaking whenever there's been an extremely heavy downpour. The fact that standing water alone doesn't cause the roof to leak ought to tell me something. I still can't find the leak, unfortunately.

Although I've got buckets on the living roof floor again and can still hear a steady drip, drip, drip as water hits the buckets, my problems are small compared to the little circus in the park. I really feel sorry for these guys. When Dash and I took our evening walk, I noticed that their tent was totally underwater. The water was three to five feet deep. I saw circus performers and crew standing waist deep inside the tent, trying to salvage chairs and props. Some chairs were actually floating away in the lake.

I wonder why nobody bothered to tell these guys that they were pitching their tent in a flood plain and that this was the rainy season in Dallas. Sadly, there is another city park less than five miles away on top of a hill. If they had located there instead, they never would have had a problem. One of the performers told me that they had four shows scheduled today. There were two matinees and two evening shows. The show obviously didn't go on.

Amazingly, in spite of the downpour, Dash still got two walks. The rain didn't start until almost 9 AM and by 6 PM, it was all over. In between, there was lots of thunder, a very scared dog, and a pretty soggy trip to the grocery store. It's sad that Dash has such limited mobility now. During thunderstorms, he still wants to crawl under my desk. This is his safe place. Unfortunately, he gets stuck in small spaces and can't get up. When he starts to struggle, his fear only increases. I had to block the office off today with a gate for his own safety.

When I went grocery shopping this morning the rain was coming down so hard that I could barely see the road. Several cars appeared to have stalled out and were sitting on the side of the road with their blinkers flashing. Nevertheless, this was still just rain. It's hard to even imagine what people in Panama City Beach are going through now. I've seen the pictures and it looks like this little costal town was totally destroyed by the hurricane.

The weather forecast says the rain is likely to continue through the end of next week. I'm not looking forward to that. Janet told me that there was a roof leak over at the storage warehouse. I'll have to take a look tomorrow and make sure that my unit is still dry. The pump on our roof still works, but it doesn't do much good. Right now, it is only removing water from the carport. I'm not even going to attempt to clear the standing water away until the rain stops. It's dangerous and ultimately the effort is pointless.

If it has to rain tomorrow, I hope there is no thunder. Dash has enough problems as it is. He definitely doesn't need to deal with storm phobia. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Maybe I'll still go to the gym. Maybe I'll just stay under the covers.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3214

Jeez. I'm getting so tired of politics. I feel like yelling "You guys are doing it all wrong" to both political parties. I'm sure nobody will listen but I'm convinced that Democrats would do a lot better if they abandoned their confrontational, in-your-face tactics and the Republicans would do better if they completely rethought their stance on immigration.

The other day I heard a Democratic friend say that they thought it was important to get out the vote, but they were afraid they might actually be encouraging someone to vote Republican. Bingo. Every time an angry mob screams obscenities from a Senate Gallery or chases a Senator out of a restaurant, you risk encouraging a non voter to get off the couch and vote against you. I don't think the politics of rage actually works. A lot of people have enough problems in their lives already. The last thing they want is a political circus. These undecided people may not march or put up yard signs, but when you make them feel like it is unsafe to go out to dinner or even enjoy a movie they will vote against you. If you block traffic with a protest on their way to work, they will definitely vote against you.

If the Democrats need to become less confrontational, the Republicans need to quit antagonizing Hispanics. What is wrong with you guys? Hispanics are practically begging to become Republicans. These guys are entrepreneurial. They work hard and tend to form businesses at a much higher rate than the general population. They still believe in the nuclear family and their kids tend to grow up with both a Mom and a Dad. They're even more religious than the general population. Isn't this the demographic you've been looking for? Republicans should be working to reform immigration laws and make it easier for Hispanics to become citizens. Quit being stupid. Welcome these guys into the fold and you could stay in power forever.

I can't quite put my finger on what has made our political system so crazy, but I think social media has a lot to do with it. Remember the Arab Spring? Everyone thought that sharing things in real time on Facebook and Twitter was going to bring democracy to the middle east. It brought total chaos instead. Libya, Egypt, and Syria crumbled. Maybe we're next. I think we need to bring back the smoke filled room where politicians can create practical, workable compromises without the scrutiny of social media pressure and a 24-hour news cycle. Winston Churchill, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and many others would never have survived in a world dominated by silly memes and Instagram pictures.

I'm discouraged by politics, but I was encouraged that the market rallied today. Maybe this week's free fall was just a normal market correction or perhaps the selloff was an investor temper tantrum about interest rates. All I know is that I'm too old to weather another major crash.

I'm probably too old to deal with my perpetual roof problems as well. I'm almost certain the roof will leak again tonight. We had a horrendous, heavy rainfall this afternoon. That's usually all it takes. I've called the roofers several times but I'm sure that there are leaks all over town. I wouldn't be surprised if the roofers were planning to move to Florida for six months. I hear that there's lots of roof work in the Panhandle.

Dash seemed like a normal dog today. I don't know how the little guy does it. He's like the Energizer Bunny of Dalmatians.

Kuuipo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3213

I had an enjoyable conversation with the art expert at the auction house today. I'd made an appointment so he could appraise the stuff I wanted to consign. The guy was German and loved mid-century houses, so we had a lot to talk about. I achieved my objective too. All the work was accepted to go to auction and I returned home with an empty car. It's been years since I've had a serious conversation about art with anyone, so I was surprised that I still had knowledge and opinions. Talking about art and artists made me a bit nostalgic for my younger gallery hopping days. Good times. Maybe collecting is a meaningless activity, but I did have a lot of fun.

Dash is wearing me out. He got me up three times last night. Then he got alarmed when Janet left the house while he was asleep and he couldn't find her when he woke up. Dash doesn't react well to surprises these days. The good new is that the Rimadyl we've started giving him for pain appears to be working. He's walking steadier now and seems to have more energy. I've never been a fan of Rimadyl, but I don't want him to be in pain. Hopefully, there will be no serious side effects like there were with one of our other dogs. We'll see what Dash's lab results look like at his next exam.

I can't believe how slow I've become. I made my appointment with the art appraiser for noon, thinking it would give me plenty of time. I barely made it. All I did this morning was walk Dash, eat breakfast, and take a shower. I used to be able to do all this by the time I left for work at 8 AM. If I get any slower I'll soon be spending the entire day making the bed.

I noticed that the little circus in the park was having a performance while we were taking Dash on his evening walk. I wonder how these guys make any money? It didn't look like they had much of an audience tonight. I thought these guys must be local, but I looked them up on the Internet and they appear to be national. Their next stop is somewhere in California. What ever possessed five people to start a miniature circus and travel around the country giving performances in public parks? I'm curious, but apparently not curious enough to buy a ticket.

Another week is drawing to a close. For some odd reason I keep thinking that Thursday is the last day of the week. It feels that way to me. The week is over when I take the trash out to the curb on Thursday night. Maybe my breakfast excursions on Friday morning seem like a new beginning. I guess it doesn't really matter when the week starts or ends. All the days seem the same anyway.

Katy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3212

I woke up this morning thinking that Hurricane Michael was going to be the only calamity today. Then the stock market dropped 800 points. So far, the hurricane seems to have done less damage than everybody expected. I'm kind of worried that today's big market sell off is just the first sign of more damage ahead. I can avoid hurricanes by choosing not to live near the coast. I'm not sure I can avoid financial disaster though. I don't think I'll live long enough to recover from another crash like we had in 2008.

Is a little stability too much to ask? The weather seems to be becoming more volatile. Politics has become way too volatile for my taste. The financial markets have always been volatile. Even my own house seems volatile, with something breaking or falling apart almost every week. I would love to see stability return. Persistent chaos is wearing me out.

Dash woke me up three times last night. The first time I took him outside, he did nothing. The second time, he eventually peed after smelling every bush in the yard. The third time, he pooped on the porch and then turned around and stepped in his mess on his way back inside. By the time I'd finished cleaning his feet and the porch, I was wide awake again. Eventually, I returned to bed, only to discover that Dash had already stolen my place.

I made arrangements this morning to take my remaining art to the auction house. Luckily, this auction house is located right here in town, so I won't need to pack or ship anything. One photo I was consigning had been on the wall for so long that I had ended up building a bookshelf around it. I had to disassemble part of the bookshelf so I could reach behind the frame and remove it from the hook on the wall. It was a lot more work than I anticipated. I certainly hope the auction house accepts everything tomorrow. The walls are starting to look pretty bare, but I'm not in the mood to deal with this stuff again.

It's time to pick up a new supply of Phenobarbital for Dash. I wish he didn't have to take so many meds. He'd probably feel more normal without the Phenobarbital, but he'd almost certainly start having epileptic seizures again within a week or two. I'd like to stop taking some of my own meds as well. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, these medications actually do work. Dash and I both need to keep our blood pressure under control. I need to watch my cholesterol. Dash lost his thyroid to cancer, so he needs thyroid medication. The list is long. Taking meds has become a complex ritual, but these pills are probably why we're both alive today.

The weather was beautiful this morning. It was a little chilly and I had to wear a light jacket on our morning walk for the first time this Fall. I think I heard the furnace come on last night as well. Although everything looks fine now, I need to remember that winter is coming.

Neo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3211

What's up with Google? Remember when their motto was "Don't Be Evil?" Good times. Now it appears that they just don't know how to be good. Google had one of the most massive security breaches in history and they don't even bother to tell their users. Maybe they thought nobody would notice. They agree to build a totally separate censored search engine for China. Maybe no one would notice that either. There are all kinds of rumors that Google search results are biased. Who knows. They probably are. Google certainly isn't talking. I used to get most of my news and information from Google Reader until Google abruptly discontinued the clever feed aggregator. I was fascinated by Google Glass. I was even thinking about buying a pair until the innovative augmented reality spectacles quietly disappeared. Now, Google+ is going to be discontinued as well. I loved Google+. It was the only social media site where I actually took the time to interact with anyone. Come on Google. Would it have killed you to keep this platform going? What is Google going to abandon next? I hope it isn't Blogger. I've spent so much time using Blogger that I can't even imagine starting over someplace else.

Remember when I thought the little circus in the park would wind up in the water if we had another heavy rain? When we were walking Dash this evening I noticed that the circus tent was in the lake. I feel sorry for the circus performers. There won't be a show tonight, unless it involves ducks. Yep. We had another day of record rainfall. So far my own roof isn't leaking again, but I think we missed the worst of today's storms. At least we aren't in the path of a hurricane. One of my relatives lives on the Florida coast. Things don't look good for them.

I called the roofers again today, but I got a message saying "Mailbox Full" and my call was not accepted. This has happened before. If my roof is leaking, chances are that thousands of other roofs all over town are leaking as well. I imagine the roofers are pretty busy today. October is traditionally the rainy season here in Dallas. It sure would be nice if we got our rain in the Spring when the grass was starting to grow, rather than in the Fall when it is beginning to go dormant.

I finally contacted the last auction house on my list. They agreed to evaluate all the remaining items I'd still like to consign. I never realized that decluttering would be such a huge task. Inch by inch, I'm getting there though. I wish I was faster. My storage warehouse comes up for renewal at the end of the month and it looks like I'm going to have to rent the unit for another year. I was hoping that I'd be able to thin things out enough so that I could get a smaller storage space, but that's not happening. Maybe next year.

Dash wanted to eat grass and leaves again tonight. He hasn't done this for several months and I was hopeful that we had finally found a diet that agreed with him. Now, we're on vomit watch again. He hasn't thrown up yet, but he could at any time. It's frustrating that none of this is apparently under our control. Dash just has good days and bad days.

I hope we both have a good day tomorrow. The unrelenting rain is giving me cabin fever again.

Maverick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3210 - Columbus Day

I must have checked the mail five times before I realized it was Columbus Day. This is an invisible holiday. I almost always forget this day unless I happen to go to the bank or post office and discover that they're closed. I think this holiday will eventually suffer the same fate as the statues of Columbus that are being toppled around the country. The man has definitely fallen out of favor. He already has to contend with a competing holiday that is celebrated by people who wish Columbus had never discovered anything.

Columbus Day isn't the only thing that's going away. Google+ is going away too. Why am I surprised. Popularity has waned in recent years and Google has decided it just isn't worth the trouble to maintain the site anymore. That's a shame. Google+ has always been my favorite social media site. It was a great place to discover new ideas and share photos with like-minded photographers. Instead of people I went to high school with, there were people who actually shared my interests. I had some good conversations. Google+ was the only social media site where I actually built a following. I guess it makes sense that the platform wasn't able to survive. Sooner or later, just about everything I really like goes belly up. The list of favored restaurants, products, magazines, cars, bands, websites, and furniture that have vanished from my life is quite long. Somehow, Walmart is still here though.

It finally happened. Dash pooped on the Persian rug in the living room. He almost always poops on the bricks, but he must have gotten lost on his way to the back door. Needless to say, cleanup was more difficult than usual. I wish that yesterday was a day when Dash's poop was firm, but I have no control over these things. You can't get mad at Dash though. He really does the best he can. I just hope that I don't become incontinent in my final years. There is nothing pleasant about incontinence.

I wonder if I've fallen out of favor with NASA. I used to get a lot better response when I applied to participate in their launches and special events. Now, it's crickets. The application I submitted last month was rejected and I still haven't received a response to my latest application. I'm sure the criteria for social media coverage has changed. When I filled out the latest application form, they weren't even interested in what I was doing on Google+. They were interested in Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit and a host of other things I never bother with.

The weather was weird today. There were severe weather and flash flood alerts on my TV and phone all day, but it didn't rain much at all in our part of town. I was even able to take Dash on morning and evening walks without getting wet. It's supposed to rain again tomorrow and then again later in the week. I definitely don't think we need to worry about a drought anymore.

Sometimes I feel like writing about more substantial things than the weather and dogs. I despise arguments though. Our entire society has become way too argumentative. I blame this on the rise of tribalism and a lack of shared values. Some of you probably don't agree. That's why I like dogs so much. Dogs can't talk.

Madison is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3209

I always learn something new on my way to the gym. I was listening to an episode of This American Life where Julian Koenig's daughter was talking about how her Dad became increasingly bitter toward the end of his life. Julian Koenig, if you're not in the ad biz, was one of the greatest copywriters of all time. According to his daughter, he was mad because he thought that George Lois, his art director partner, had stolen his ideas over 40 years ago. He was convinced that he never got credit for ads that were really his. It didn't matter that he was one of a small handful of writers inducted into the Copywriter's Hall of Fame and had been a role model to young copywriters like me, he was still pissed at George.

George and Julian were still working when I started out in the business. They were legends. Hearing Julian's daughter describe the giant egos that inspired shows like Mad Men brought back a lot of memories. Everyone who works in an ad agency creative department thinks that their ideas have been stolen by somebody. Maybe it was their boss who stole them. Maybe it was a co-worker. Often it is the client who is guilty. It's all so petty and yet it is very real. It's not like you're curing cancer when you come up with a clever headline. You get to think that trivial things are important.

Ultimately Julian Koenig regretted going into advertising at all. He was proud that he was considered the best in the business, but he concluded that the business itself was worthless. His daughter said that at the age of 88, he wished he had become an environmental scientist instead. I'm glad I don't obsess about my days in advertising like Julian did, but I understand his sentiments. I kind of wish I had become an astronomer instead of pursuing a career in advertising. I've had ideas stolen too, but I didn't lose a lot of sleep over it. Maybe I was angry for a week or two, but I can't imagine brooding for 40 years. Jeez. I can't even remember what I did 40 years ago. When I look at my old portfolio from the 1970's, it seems like someone else wrote the ads. I'll have to admit, they were pretty good though. I must have written them.

Sometimes I think that Dash has ESP. Even though we started our day exactly the same way we always do, Dash seemed to know that Janet was going to be gone today. He followed her around like glue this morning and wouldn't take his walk at the regular time. He wouldn't even eat his breakfast. When Janet left for the Golf Tournament, Dash moped around the house for at least an hour. Then, when I was right in the middle of my own breakfast, he decided he was OK again and headed for the back door. I put my breakfast aside and quickly got him suited up to walk. You've got to seize the moment with Dash.

I waited until Dash was taking his morning nap before I left for the gym. It's safe to leave him for an hour or so, just not all day. When I returned, Dash was still sleeping in exactly the same place on the bed. He never even woke up. I wish I could sleep like Dash. When he wakes me up at night, he's back asleep a few minutes after I take him outside to pee. I'm usually wide awake, staring at the ceiling while I listen to him snore.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3208

It's time for the annual Dalmatian Rescue Golf Tournament again. Time flies. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. Rain is always a worry in October. Even the State Fair of Texas gets rained out a lot. The Golf Tournament is our biggest fundraiser of the year and the dogs always need food and medical care. For years and years I used to take photographs at these events. Now, it seems like I've been home with a sick dog for years and years. Jeez. Have I really been involved with Dalmatian Rescue for eighteen years? It doesn't seem possible. At any rate, I hope that everyone stays dry and has fun tomorrow. I'll be home with Dash.

Having just been through the auction process myself, I was amused to read today that a Banksy painting self destructed moments after being sold for over a million dollars at Sotheby's. Evidently a paper shredder had been cleverly hidden inside a special frame that had been programmed to shred the painting the moment the hammer fell. This sounds like something Banksy would do. The art world is very weird. Pieces of paper and canvas change hands for insanely high prices. At the end of the day, they are still just pieces of paper. It makes you wonder. I like watching that show Strange Inheritance. Antiques Roadshow is pretty interesting too. There are all these stories of ordinary things  in people's attics that end up being worth a fortune. What makes us value some things and toss other things aside? There is no rational reason why a Banksy stencil of a girl with a balloon should be worth a million dollars. There is no reason why an old baseball card should be worth thousands of dollars. I guess there is no reason why my collection of electric trains should be worth anything. I could never begin to afford a Banksy painting. I am a collector though. At least I used to be. I'm kind of glad that Banksy found a way to poke fun at the whole idea of collecting.

I think someone is poking fun at me at the gas pump. For at least the fourth time in the past several months, I put my credit card in the pump, had my transaction accepted, and ended up with no gas. When the display told me to start pumping, no gas came out of the hose. They tell me this happens when the station runs out of premium gas. You'd think they could put a sign on the pump. I know I'll get charged a dollar for this non existent transaction and I know I'll decide that it's too much trouble to dispute it. I wonder who gets to keep the dollar?

Dash had a good day. He slept through the night, which was a minor miracle. It is so rare to get a good night's sleep these days. There wasn't a lot of poop to clean up in the house either. You know your life has changed when you measure your days by the amount of poop you clean up. I hear some thunder in the distance, but I hope Dash sleeps well tonight as well. Fitbit says I have a sleep deficit for the week. Some extra shut eye tonight might help bring things back to normal.

We had some delicious takeout for dinner. It's hard to have a bad day when you have steak quesadillas and barbecued brisket enchiladas for dinner. No heartburn either. Hey, when your dog makes it through another day and you don't have heartburn, life is good.

Cassie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3207

There is no truth anymore. It's gone. All we have left are carefully constructed narratives. Keep in mind that a narrative is just a story. I say this as a person who has spent most of his adult life constructing narratives. I'm an advertising writer. There's a good chance that I might have convinced you to buy something you didn't really need. I might of even convinced you to believe a lie. That'a what a narrative is meant to do. It's really not that hard to influence someone when you can engage their emotions.

This is why I'm deeply distrustful of politics. Politicians have become addicted to narratives, mostly because they are much more effective than looking at things objectively. I have to give the Democrats credit. They are great at creating a good narrative. The threat from Russia is genius. Not a day goes by without hearing about Russian meddling. Hmm. I can't recall the Democrats caring about Russia one way or the other since the days of John Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Democrats knew that there were still a few old school Russia Hawks in the Republican Party though, and if they could peel away a couple of them, their opponents might lose their slim majority and legislation could be blocked. It worked. Warhawks like John McCain became allies instead of adversaries and it was McCain who ended up casting the critical vote to save Obamacare.

The Republicans seem to like narratives as well. The need for a border wall is a narrative calculated to appeal to people's emotions. If you really want to stop people from crossing a border, a wall probably isn't the most effective way to do things. A wall is basically useless, but it is a powerful symbol. It got a president elected.

I wish that politicians didn't feel the need to create stories that are meant to fan the flames of human emotion. We are already a divided country and these narratives are just making a bad situation worse. A narrative that is gaining traction now is the idea that under certain circumstances it is perfectly OK to say that someone is guilty until they can prove their innocence. It doesn't seem to bother the people who created this narrative that this is exactly what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. They knew that when you combine a huge voting block with an explosively emotional issue and stir vigorously, you have a witches brew that just might provide you with the kryptonite you need.

I find it a bit distressing that many of my friends seem all too willing to burn the witch. When you abandon due process and have politicians who actively condone mob rule under the guise of resistance, all is lost. What ever happened to the preponderance of evidence standards that have guided our judicial system for so many years? Have we really returned to the McCarthy era or the dark days of the Salem Witch Trials? I thought about these things as Dash and I walked by the pathetic little circus that seems to be still taking place in the park. That's what we've got right now in this country: a pathetic circus.

Lightning is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3206

It was a good day. It could have been a great day, but I'll settle for good. I was expecting the worst when we took Dash to the vet this morning, especially since his condition has been declining for several months. Surprisingly, his lab work looked better than at his last exam and the doctors could find no evidence of a blood clot on his echocardiogram. This was great news, but it was tempered a bit by the admission that the clot might have been missed this time, since Dash was squirming a lot when they did the test.

I'm hoping that the clot actually did disappear again. It disappeared once before. The vets at the cancer center are very good and they seldom make mistakes in their diagnosis. Even if the blood clot problem has been resolved, Dash still isn't out of the woods. He has an enlarged heart with a leaking mitral valve. The vestibular disease isn't going away either. When we described Dash's current symptoms, the doctor was initially worried about kidney failure. His blood work turned out relatively normal fortunately, so we won't have to add that worry to our list. Everything we learned this morning was good, but I still wish that the results had been better.

I was a little disappointed with the auction results as well. My art sold for a good price, but it didn't live up to the auction house estimates. They were so excited to acquire these items back in June that I became convinced that the sky was the limit. I shouldn't have set my expectations so high. Truthfully, my lot did just as well as other works by the same artist, but we definitely didn't set any records today. It's weird. Once you start watching auctions, you start thinking that whatever you are selling will set a new record. It doesn't work that way. A lot of things don't sell at all.

There is still one auction to go, but this was the big one. It's time to move one. I guess I am actually really lucky. With all the trouble I've had with my roof over the years, it would have been so easy for the art to be ruined by water. The roof would have just had to start leaking in a slightly different place.

Actually, the roofers did call today. They left me a message while we were at the vet with Dash saying they were in the neighborhood. By the time I was able to call them back, they were gone. It's back to playing phone tag again.

My heart rate is subsiding again. I don't know why, but I'll take it as a good sign. I can't believe I'm already thinking about where to go for breakfast tomorrow. These weeks go by so fast now. I've taken the trash out to the curb. Dash has finished his dinner and is resting calmly. Oh, I almost forgot. I sold some art today.

Jersey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3205

I should have mowed the grass earlier. The heavy rains that caused the roof leak also caused the grass in the front yard to grow amazingly fast. It was almost a foot tall on some places. Technically, grass this tall is really a weed, but hey it's green. It's amazing how much harder to do manual work like this when you're 70. Mowing the grass seemed a lot easier when I was 40.

I called the roofer today, but I didn't get a response. That wasn't surprising. It usually takes at least five calls before anything happens at all. Dealing with this new leak isn't going to be easy. There was a general understanding that the repairs the guys made late this Summer would be the last. I actually thought the crew did a good job, so I was quite surprised when the roof started leaking again. I need to be persistent though. The roof really shouldn't be leaking at this point.

My contact at the auction house called me this evening while I was out walking Dash. I hope it wasn't anything important, because the auction is tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they just wanted me to confirm the reserve price. This price fluctuates, depending on whether there are advance bids. The auction starts while we're at the vet with Dash tomorrow, but my lot doesn't go under the hammer until the afternoon. I'll nervously watch what happens online.

I'm also a bit nervous about Dash's exam at the cancer center tomorrow morning. It's been two months since Dash has had a major exam and he's definitely gone downhill since then. Actually, Dash's appetite has improved since our last visit, but almost everything else has gone downhill. Dash has real trouble walking now and his incontinence has gotten worse. His teeth are terrible and I'm really looking for a way to prevent him from getting periodontal disease. We briefly tried an antiseptic rinse that Janet uses, but our other vet said it probably wasn't safe since the the ingredients included an artificial flavoring that wasn't safe for dogs.

I need to learn more about weather. For the past three mornings, when I've taken Dash out to pee at 5 AM, the sky has been crystal clear. I've noticed the sky because Orion is rising in the East. This is my favorite constellation and one of the few things you can reliably see through all the light pollution in Dallas. The weird thing is that when I go outside again an hour or two later, the sky has become completely overcast. Where did all these clouds come from so quickly?

I hope the auction goes well tomorrow. Like I've said before, this is my Antiques Roadshow moment. I may get really lucky and then again, maybe I won't. Auction results still seems kind of random to me and it's hard to anticipate what buyers are thinking. It's kind of the end of an era. I definitely won't be buying any more art after this is all over.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3204

My memory is shot. I was slowly plodding through my regular morning routine when I got a reminder notice on my phone saying that I had a dental appointment in one hour. Damn. I completely forgot, even though the appointment had been on my calendar for weeks. I hadn't finished breakfast, hadn't taken a shower, and still had to take Dash outside to pee, but I knew I'd better leave immediately. I've had doctors and veterinarians for clients and I know how much they hate for someone to cancel an appointment at the last minute.

I almost never make an appointment before 11 AM, but apparently that is still too early. It's amazing how long it takes to do nothing when you've got a sick dog. I made it to the dentist's office with a few minutes to spare. Luckily, traffic was light today. My teeth looked good, and after a routine cleaning, I made another appointment for six months from now. I bet I'll forget that one too.

I didn't think Facebook could get worse, but it has. Now, it you like something or use one of those other emojis, you can't see who else liked the same thing. I wonder what this is all about. You can still see who liked a paid business post by hovering your mouse over the little blue hand, but friends likes are hidden. You can't even see who liked your own posts. This probably has something to do with privacy. Facebook is paranoid about privacy after all the problems they've had. It's too bad they keep making their platform worse.

Dash gave us a scare last night. He had another vestibular seizure and appeared brain dead for a while. He just wandered around aimlessly for almost an hour. He would go out the back door and just stand on the porch, staring vacantly at the sky. Then he would come in and go to the kitchen, where he would stand by his food bowl. He wouldn't eat anything though. I tried everything. He wouldn't pee when he went outside and he wouldn't eat when he went to the kitchen. He refused to go back to the bedroom and for the most part, just appeared dazed and confused. When he was standing in place, he would shake and drool a lot. Usually vertigo causes this. If Dash stood in one place too long, his rear legs would start to sink. Eventually eventually we convinced him to come back to the bedroom, where he immediately went to sleep.

This morning, Dash was fine. That's the way vestibular disease operates. Something periodically triggers these episodes and after hours of worrying that your dog might die, the symptoms subside and everything is fine. Vestibular seizures aren't nearly as violent as epileptic seizures, but they last a lot longer. So far, we've been lucky that episodes like last night don't happen all that often.

I got a call from the audio repair shop with an estimate for fixing my synthesizers. The estimate seemed high, but there were three synthesizers, so I told them to go ahead. I wanted the guy to assure me that the synthesizers would be good as new once the repairs were made. Nope. This was stage one. When the power supplies and certain capacitors had been repaired, they would move on to stage two. By the time these things are fixed, I won't make a dime by selling them. It's pretty much the same story with the large lithograph I had restored. I'll have to add "don't ever keep your stuff in a storage warehouse" to my long-time admonition to never buy a house with a flat roof.

Oh, well. Tomorrow's a new day. It will probably be full of surprises. Most days are.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3203

Another month has come and gone. It's getting harder and harder to give Dash his monthly heartworm pill. The pills are large and it is difficult to hide them. When we finished the morning meds and cleaned up the poop on the floor, the first of October was pretty much the same as the end of September.

I saw some people setting up what appeared to be a small circus while Dash and I were out walking this morning. The circus folks better hope it doesn't rain. They were putting their tent in an area that routinely floods. October is packed with outdoor events. The State Fair has already started and in addition to the small circus, there was an Octoberfest celebration going on in another section of the park. I studiously avoid all these events. I don't like crowds. When the dogs were young, we took them to a few outdoor events. They usually had fun because there was almost always food involved. I don't know when the circus starts, but we'll probably change our route for a few days. It's a lot easier to deal with a dog who can barely walk and is likely to poop on your shoe in an area devoid of other people.

I was disappointed to learn that none of my trains sold in September. I was getting used to consistent sales and a check at the first of the month. Maybe October will be better. These trains would make a great gift for a railfan. Hopefully, my friend can sell quite a few during the holiday season.

I had to go to the storage warehouse and bring home another rug for Dash. Pretty soon all Dot's rugs are going to be back in the house. They're ugly, but if they help keep Dash standing, they're worth it. I took some little rugs back when I picked up the bigger ones to avoid unnecessary clutter. I got ahead of myself though. I had to go back to the storage warehouse and retrieve the little rug to fill a slippery place in the kitchen. Hopefully all is well for at least a few more weeks.

Dash has another big exam at the cancer center later this week. I wish there was something they could do that would actually make him better, rather than just monitor his decline. I hope Dash doesn't suffer from Peripheral Neuropathy in addition to all his other ailments. He's certainly starting to exhibit a lot of the classic symptoms. He definitely has a problem with his mouth. If it's an abscess or a decayed tooth, I don't know what we are going to do. Most of his doctors don't think he could survive anesthesia.

I applied for the NASA event in Houston later this month and paid a few of the early October bills. There was some last minute paperwork I needed to sign with the auction house and some routine correspondence that needed to be answered. I didn't have the energy to fight with the roofers again. I'll grit my teeth and try to do that tomorrow.

I'm glad they got a trade deal settled today. It was certainly good for the market. I'm glad Elon Musk got his problems resolved as well. I don't think he was treated fairly by the SEC at all. Few people noticed these events because everyone was fighting about other things. So far the confirmation circus has only succeeded in raising my resting heart rate. I can't think of anything else that might have caused this.

Tori is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3202

My mind wanders at the gym. I think about things. What if disease and famine were meant to be part of our existence? Did we accidentally become smart enough so that we could ignore the rules that applied to everything else on the planet? Humanity has spread like a Kudzu vine, destroying everything in its path? When I go to the doctor, I sometimes wonder if I should just eat healthy food and take my chances. I take a lot of pills that didn't even exist 40 years ago. Was I meant to live that much longer than my grandparents. Modern medicine has dramatically extended our lives and increased our numbers, but was that really what nature intended?

We have risen to the top of the food chain and eaten all the other animals. The oceans are systematically being depleted of fish. The forests have been chopped down to build houses for us. So much oil has been pumped from the ground that it is causing earthquakes. I read statistics occasionally that say there are still plenty of animals left on the planet. When you read the fine print, you discover that only a tiny percentage of what remains are actually wild animals. The vast majority of animals that remain on the planet are cows and pigs that are being raised for food. 60 percent of the mammals are livestock, 36 percent are humans, and just four percent of the living mammals on the planet are wild. I wonder if we have become too smart for our own good. Maybe our cleverness just guarantees that we will be extinct soon. Would the Earth be safe if we quit trying to live forever?

I don't know the answer to these things, but it makes the time go faster on the treadmill. I was terrible on the basketball court today. I couldn't connect with anything. Maybe some residual emotion from yesterday was seeping out of the base of my brain and destroying my hand/eye coordination. Fitbit says my resting heart rate is higher this week as well. Not good. I need to take a deep breath and just turn off the television.

We tried some new protective coverings for the bed last night, but they didn't really work. Two or three times a night, Dash will wake up and circle around on the bed to find a new position. When he does this, the blankets and protective coverings just get crumpled and wind up in a ball. This is a work in progress. Luckily, Dash made it through the night and pooped outside early this morning. I actually got some sleep last night.

I'm thinking about applying to participate in another NASA event. This one takes place in Houston, so travel would be easy. The are so many flights to Houston from Dallas that I might even be able to return the same day. This is all good. The bad thing is that I think I've lost my mojo. NASA seems to be looking for social media stars. That's definitely not me.

The catalog for the second auction came out today. My remaining art looks pretty good. The first auction takes place later this week. This will all be over soon. When I look at these catalogs it still seems strange that these things used to hang on my wall.

There was a beautiful sunset tonight. We've got to start walking earlier though. By the time we got home, it was completely dark.

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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