Day 1350

The trouble with working is that I'm too busy to get started on any of my ambitious bucket list projects and not busy enough to make any real money. I feel like I'm treading water at times, but I guess this is still better than drowning.

When I find the time, there's all sorts of things I'd like to try. I've been meaning to hook a camera up to a Meade Cassegrain telescope I acquired at a charity auction. I bought the necessary fittings to attach a camera about three years ago, but still haven't found the right opportunity to photograph anything. There are only about three or four days a year when the sky is sufficiently free of haze to take advantage of this super telephoto lens, but so far there has either been a dog emergency or a client crisis whenever the ideal day arrives.

I need to make a cutting board for the kitchen. For some reason, all the wooden cutting boards I've seen available in cooking stores are the wrong size. I found a local specialty hardwoods lumber company on the Internet, but have never found the time to spend several hours searching for a perfectly proportioned piece of rosewood or mahogany. It doesn't help matters that I will also have to buy a router and learn how to use it in order to create the kind of cutting board I really want.

I'd like to put rock sliders on the Defender 90, build a model train layout, and start recording my songs again, but I'll openly acknowledge that some of these things will never happen. There are always practical necessities like painting the house and caulking cracks and crevices so bugs can't get in that supersede the fun stuff. I guess I could start on some of my bucket list projects if I didn't go to the gym several times a week, but the workouts have become a practical necessity as well. Too many of my friends have already had heart attacks. I don't want to be the next one.

When I was walking the dogs this morning, one of my neighbors brought me up to date on the Summer's ongoing neighborhood disputes. I'm glad I really don't keep up with these things. I try to pretend that the park behind my house is out in the wilderness somewhere, and it is always distressing to realize that it is just a small patch of green in the middle of a big city. I would like to live in the middle of forty acres of land with no neighbors at all. The trouble with this type of arrangement though, is that there are seldom good veterinarians nearby.

When I was at the gym today, I discovered something else that is murder on my carpel tunnel hands. The gym has a really nice basketball court, so I thought I'd shoot a few baskets while I was there. Yikes! This used a few wrist muscles that I haven't moved in a while. My hand-eye coordination isn't what it used to be, but I did manage to dunk a few.

Cammy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1349

I think the dogs had more energy than I did today. Although we schlepped them all over town, they seemed to take it all in stride. Even though it was hot as hell at the dog park, they still enjoyed the outing. They were both great little ambassadors for Dalmatian Rescue at the PetCo store rescue event this afternoon. They even had enough energy left over to take a pretty decent evening walk.

I can't say the same for myself. I think it was mowing the grass after we returned from the rescue events that did me in. I don't care what you say. I still think mowing the grass burns more energy than anything I do at the gym. I use an electric mower now, and even though it is much lighter than the old gas mower, it is not self-propelled. Pushing that thing up a hill is probably all the cardio exercise I need. The yard does look much better now though.

I discovered that there's a name for the numbness I often feel in my toes. It's called Peripheral neuropathy and I actually wish I hadn't learned about it. I used to think the numbness was just caused by the Carvedilol I was taking to slow down my heart rate. It made sense that since my heart wasn't pumping as fast, the circulation to my feet wouldn't be as good as it should be. Now it appears that numbness and tingling sensations in the toes and feet can be caused by any number of things, including diabetes, Hepatitis-C, and vitamin B deficiency. What this means for me is that my doctors will never agree on a cause and they'll all propose different treatments. I guess it doesn't really matter, since there is no cure for Peripheral neuropathy anyway.

I finished my monthly writers group assignment this evening. Lately, everything I write is starting to feel like an assignment. Whatever happened to writing for the sheer joy of it? I'd like to imagine that I used to write for the sheer joy of writing, but I suspect that I've mostly just written for money. About the only thing I do for the sheer joy of it anymore is eat things on my forbidden list. Bacon anyone?

Pinky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1348

We went to see The Rich Tones and Street Corner Symphony at the Eisemann Center this afternoon. I wasn't always a fan of acapella music, but I've grown to like the genre. Janet has a friend who sings with the Rich Tones, so we've gone to quite a few of these concerts. The Rich Tones are hard to describe. Imagine 100 women singing "Born this Way," with more energy and better harmonies than Lady Gaga and you get the idea. Street Corner Symphony were pretty amazing as well. These guys were the runners up on Season 2 of NBC's "The Sing-Off" and their acapella rendition of Train's "Hey Soul Sister" sounded even better than the one you always hear Patrick Monahan singing on your car radio.

I discovered today that the touch screen on the Range Rover Evoque isn't broken after all. A valet parking guy just put the car in Valet Mode and I don't know how to get it back to Normal Mode. Evidently Valet Mode locks the screen so the parking guy can't see your travel history on the GPS or your telephone contact list. Way too fancy for me. Valet Mode on the Defender 90 consists of me asking the parking attendant if he knows how drive a stick shift without a synchromesh transmission. Most guys say they know, but it's easy to tell they're lying when they grind the gears as they drive off with your car.

Not surprisingly, I didn't get all my Saturday errands finished today. Going to a matinee concert in Richardson took up a lot of time, but it was definitely more fun than mowing the grass. I did manage to get clean sheets on the bed, but that's about it. Maybe tomorrow. Or then again, maybe not. Tomorrow is a busy day as well. There a trip to the dog park on the agenda, and then later in the day Dot and Dash get another chance to be ambassadors for Dalmatian Rescue at a "meet and greet" event.

Truthfully, I"m not in a big hurry to  mow the grass. It's still way too hot outside. Maybe if I try to get a head start on some writing assignment tomorrow, I can postpone the outdoor chores a bit longer.

Hero is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1347

Dot has resumed taking normal walks in the mornings again. Dash's condition seems to have stabilized as well. I still feel a need to check in on the dogs while I'm away though, so I set up a laptop to monitor Dash in lieu of the still non-functional nanny cam. By the time I arrived at the cool restaurant for breakfast, the dogs were already asleep on the bed. For the time being at least, things are back to normal.

Yesterday I contacted various customer service departments with a laundry list of questions. It's always surprising who responds and who doesn't. A video equipment manufacturer responded within an hour with helpful suggestions about how to find a replacement quick release plate for their discontinued fluid tripod head. The French nanny cam company responded within a day, saying they were still working on the server problem. The GPS watch company never responded at all.

I made it to the gym again today. I seem to be able to manage two days a week, but it seems next to impossible to find time for a third day. I would think I'd be starting to see some increase in muscle mass now that I've been working out for a while, but I can't see any difference. I'm definitely stronger, since I can do more repetitions on the machines now, but I'm still way too skinny. With all the things I have wrong with me, there could be a dozen reasons why my muscle mass is not increasing the way I'd like. I'll continue the workouts though. At least they make me feel stronger.

It looks like a busy weekend. Janet and I are going to a concert tomorrow and on Sunday Dot and Dash are going to be ambassadors for Dalmatian Rescue again at a rescue event. There's always a trip to the dog park if the weather cooperates and I'm sure there will be grocery shopping and errands to run as well. I hope I don't have computer problems this weekend. I upgraded one of the computers to Mountain Lion today. I hate system upgrades, but some of the work applications I use regularly are starting to require this system. If Mountain Lion doesn't cause a mountain of problems on the laptop, I'll eventually upgrade the other computers as well.

It's hard to believe that September is just around the corner. It's not like anything exciting happens in September, but at least the weather will be getting cooler.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1346

When I went to my doctor's appointment today, my blood pressure was low. I wonder what that's all about? My blood pressure has been on the high side for as long as I can remember. Low blood pressure would definitely be a new wrinkle. My test today was to determine how elastic my arteries were and whether they were filled with plaque. I think I did OK on this test. The images on the screen were mostly blue anyway. I've had these tests before. Blue is usually good and red is bad.

Dot thinks she is better now and wants to resume her regular life. When I got Dash ready to go on his morning walk, Dot stood right by the front door and started slapping her leash with her paw. She was determined not to be left behind again. Since it's always hard to reason with a Dalmatian, I took both dogs on a shorter, non-strenuous walk. The walk seemed to put the dogs in a better mood, and the rest of the day was quite peaceful.

My new nanny cam quit working today. Par for the course, I guess. The camera works fine when I'm actually in the room with it, but the signal drops out as soon as I leave the house. This severely limits the usefulness of the gizmo. There was a cryptic message on the company website that said they were experiencing server problems. I'm just guessing, but the server appears to be in Sweden. Maybe that's part of the problem.

Land Rover still hasn't finished repairing the Defender 90. When I took the car in, they told me they'd have it fixed in two days. When Land Rover says two days though, they really mean two weeks. I suspect the car will be ready at the end of next week. I'm actually in no hurry to get the Defender back. The air conditioning work great on the Evoque loaner car, even though nothing else seems very reliable.

I'm really glad that Dot's condition is improving. Life seems to be returning to normal. It looks like I'm up to date on website updates and all the pending articles in my queue have been written and submitted. I even remembered to take the garbage out to the curb for tomorrow's trash pickup. Now, I just need to decide what to have for breakfast tomorrow.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1345

Dot's veterinary trifecta is over for the week. She definitely came away a winner today. I was amazed at how well she did at her physical therapy session. The vet assured me that the water therapy wouldn't hurt her injured leg, so Dot got a combo of acupuncture and water therapy at today's session. She even tried the balance ball for a short time, but she's got to get stronger before she can do anything strenuous. The good news is that all her vets seem confident that Dot will make a full recovery. If you've got an older or geriatric dog, you really ought to consider physical therapy. Even though she has had her setbacks, physical therapy has made Dot visibly stronger and has improved her confidence.

I was so impressed with Dot's progress that I decided to go to the gym myself. I really didn't have time today, but it looks like I'll have to find a way to make the time if I want to see any real improvements. Last week I was so busy that I only made it to the gym once. That's not really enough to make much of a difference.

I finally made it to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner as well. One of the downsides to eating fresh food is that you've got to go to the store a lot more often. No more picking a six month old can of tuna fish off the shelf and making a tuna and mayo sandwich on white bread for dinner.

There was lots of website work to finish today, but it all went fairly smoothly. I even had time to finish another article, although I was running late all day. By the time I got home from the gym, it was already time for dog training class. We debated whether it was wise to take Dot to class this evening, but she likes to go, so we went and just had her do the easy, non-strenuous exercises. Dash did all the exercises, and even did a few of them well.

One of my faithful readers reminded me this morning that yesterday was actually Tuesday, even though I'd written that I'd done pretty well for a Monday. It's been that kind of week. I don't know what day it is. I just keep moving along, in hopes that Friday will eventually arrive.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1344

If you didn't know any better, you'd probably think I operated a pet taxi service. The day was spent carting Dot and Dash back and forth to various vet appointments. I'm happy to report that Dot's condition continues to improve. She's moving around fairly well now, and although the Rimadyl she's currently taking to reduce inflammation in her leg might be partially responsible for her seemingly overnight recovery, it does appear that she suffered no serious damage last weekend. All Dot's vital signs looked good at her annual physical today. If I can keep her calm for a few more days while her leg continues to heal, I think she'll be walking normally again.

When I got Dot back home again, it was time to take Dash to the vet.  Nothing was really wrong with Dash this time. He just needed his bi-weekly antigen shot. There's one more vet appointment with Dot tomorrow, and then it's time for me to go back to the doctor again. A new ultrasound test one of my doctors wanted me to take got approved by insurance today, and I made an appointment to get the test done on Thursday.

The touch screen display quit working on the Evoque loaner car this afternoon. Now, when you touch the on-screen buttons, nothing happens. I can't believe that so many things are broken on a car with only 6,000 miles on the odometer. Of course there is always a chance that the odometer is broken too. I may be driving an older car than I think. I'm definitely never going to buy one of these things. The entire car is just a giant electrical problem waiting to happen.

Even though I was continually driving around, running errands, getting prescriptions filled, and taking dogs to the vet, I still managed to get quite a bit done today. The web-servers that were down for repairs yesterday were running normally again, so I was able to upload quite a bit of new material to client websites. There was a rush article that needed to be written in a hurry, as well as some pictures that still needed to be edited in Photoshop. I may have forgotten one or two things, but I think I did pretty well for a Monday.

I didn't have time to go to the gym today, which meant I didn't have time to stop at the grocery store on the way home either. Although there was nothing to eat for dinner in the refrigerator, there was plenty of soup in the cupboard. Janet loves soup. No matter how forgetful I am about grocery shopping, there is always plenty of soup to eat.

I'm hopeful that Dot's condition will continue to improve and that after tomorrow's vet appointment, life will return to some semblance of normality. If two dogs leave me with a feeling that I have a full plate, I wonder how people with small children and busy lives manage at all. Maybe they all have nannies.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1343

One good thing about having so many veterinarians as clients and friends is that Dot and Dash always get excellent medical care. Dot went to her emergency vet today to get X-rays and make sure she hadn't seriously injured her leg. Tomorrow she goes to her regular vet for her annual physical exam. Then, on Wednesday she goes to see her physical therapy vet. I'm hoping that seeing three different vets on three consecutive days will help us find a conclusive answer to the problems she's been having with her rear legs. Today's visit was encouraging. Her spine and hips look remarkably good for a dog of her age. There were no visible signs of Spondylosis or pinched nerves on the X-rays either. She still might have a partial tear of her anterior cruciate ligament, but it doesn't look like she suffered a full tear, which is much more serious.

Since Dot was in no immediate danger and Dash's condition seems to have stabilized, I was able to take care of some of my own medical needs. I took copies of some new blood work over to my Hepatologist. I guess I could have just faxed the records, but there were so many that it seemed easier to drive them over to the hospital. Next, I got another doctor to approve a new cholesterol medication that a third doctor wanted me to start taking. My own medical team might not be as friendly and accommodating as Dot's, but dealing with them is just as complex. I've discovered that getting three or more doctors to agree on anything is next to impossible.

Today was Janet's birthday. We didn't have a huge party with an open bar and a rock band, but we did have some delicious Sprinkles cupcakes. Dot and Dash got to enjoy some Sprinkles doggie cupcakes as well. My favorite new Sprinkles flavor is S'mores. Somehow, they taste exactly like the Graham crackers with melted marshmallows and chocolate that are mandatory on any camping trip. Yes, I know that I'm not supposed to eat any sugar, but I probably won't eat another cupcake until the next birthday party. I think I'm OK.

It's a good thing that work was slow today, because I doubt that I could have met any deadlines today anyway. After I got all my medical errands out of the way, I did have time to update a couple of websites. I couldn't upload the changes though, since one of the sites was moving to a new server. With Dot's annual exam and Dash's antigen shot tomorrow, I hope my workload continues to be slow. After Wednesday is over, you guys can start piling it on again, but let's hold off for a little while. I've got sick dogs to deal with.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1342

Now Dot is having problems. She stumbled getting out of the car at the dog park this morning. At first I thought her slight limp was the result of landing too hard as she jumped off the car seat. After a few minutes, she seemed just fine at the park. Later in the day though, she had periods where she seemed unsteady and confused. Occasionally she would have trouble getting up. Once, when she was standing, she almost toppled over and I had to rush to catch her. For the most part however, she seemed absolutely normal, with no limp or side effects whatsoever. I started to wonder if her neurological problems had returned and shortly after dinner, my fears were confirmed. After taking a nap, she couldn't get up at all.  I helped her stand and she tilted to one side like she had vertigo. I'm almost certain that she's had another seizure.

It's stressful knowing that either dog could have a seizure at any time. Dot's seizures are completely different than the ones Dash has too. His are quite violent and hers seem like someone just temporarily switched off her brain. When Dot has episodes like this, she has a vacant, non-responsive look and appears totally confused.  The vet says she may be experiencing vertigo during these episodes and loses her sense of balance. I'm going to try to get her to see a vet tomorrow and find out if the problem is in her legs, or in her brain.

If it weren't for all the dog problems, it would have been a nice, relaxing day. The weather was unusually cool for this time of year and I'm more or less caught up with work projects. Since Janet has a birthday coming up, I did some shopping and package wrapping while Janet kept an eye on the dogs. Janet had to go to a meeting later in the day and I stuck to doing things where I could keep Dot at my side. She's resting peacefully now, but I think she might have problems when she tries to go out to pee just before bedtime. The last time she tried to get up, she was really shaky.

I hope things return to normal tomorrow. It was going to be a busy day already, but if Dot's condition doesn't improve with rest overnight, it's going to get a lot busier. Hopefully, I can get her in to see the vet in the morning, although I'm not certain if there's anything that can be done at this point. I wish the dogs were younger, since many of the problems that come with old age simply can't be reversed. I wish I was younger for exactly the same reasons.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1341

Today was a bit different. Janet and I went out to eat at a nice restaurant and then went to a friend's birthday party. The dinner menu at Central 214 featured items like Kobe beef pot roast, bacon wrapped rainbow trout and dinosaur kale. The party afterwards was a little more elaborate than the Sprinkles cupcakes and dog biscuits we typically celebrate with as well. There were at least seventy-five guests, an open bar, tons of food, and a fabulous band called Spector's Gun Collection. The name must have been a reference to the Phil Spector murder trial, but the songs were pure British Invasion. When I closed my eyes I could have sworn I was listening to Eric Clapton or The Who.

I was a bit nervous leaving Dash alone for so long, but it was nice to get out for a change. I felt a bit out of place pulling up at the valet park stand behind a Porsche, a Lexus, and a Mercedes. Then I realized I was still driving the Range Rover loaner car, so I guess I fit right in. If my memory was better, I probably would have recognized more of the guests. I probably worked with a lot of these people twenty years ago, but other than the birthday boy and his wife, I couldn't remember who anyone was. It was still a fun party though, even though we mostly just stood around aimlessly, ate cake, and listened to the band. It's a shame I can't drink anymore. The liquor was flowing pretty freely at this party.

Although the day ended with birthday cake and loud music, it started pretty simple. I was up on the roof at 7 AM, sweeping off yesterday's rain water while Janet walked the dogs. The weather was nice and cool this morning, so the dogs got a nice long walk and I got a dry roof. After breakfast, we went up to the Dalmatian Rescue kennels and took pictures of Logan, our newest member of the rescue program. Rescues are doing well this Summer. The pair of dogs we photographed last week have already found a home.

Hopefully, after a week on phenobarbital, Dash will have stabilized a bit and be able to enjoy his trip to the dog park tomorrow. Last week was a disaster, but he's seemed completely normal all week. Here's hoping for the best, anyway. The dog park is usually Dash's favorite event of the week.  I'm cutting it pretty close tonight with all the festivities this evening. Looks like I'm going to make my deadline though. Still haven't missed a day.

Toby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1340

It had to happen. My nutritionist and my physicians are at odds with each other. The doctors now want me to stop taking all the supplements the nutritionist recommended to improve my liver function. The doctor's say these supplements and herbal medications are the only unexplained variable that might be contributing to my elevated liver enzyme levels. Not surprisingly, my nutritionist doesn't agree with this assessment. He says the enzyme levels would be even higher without the supplements. Either party could be right, but I'm inclined to go with the doctors on this one. After a very extensive Google search, I could find nothing that convinced me the recommended supplements even worked at all.

It's obvious to me that the food we eat has a huge impact on how healthy we are. What's not so obvious is why the medical community and the nutritional experts can't seem to get together on this fundamental issue. It's frustrating. Would it be too much to ask for everybody to be on the same page when it comes to diet, exercise, supplements, and meds? It' probably never going to happen though. Nobody agrees on anything these days. Pick any subject at random and you will find diametrically opposed and deeply held views.

It is my deeply held view that the technology gods were angry today. My fancy new Range Rover Evoque loaner car wouldn't go in reverse this morning. At first I didn't know what to do, since there is nothing mechanical on this car. Then I remembered what I always do with malfunctioning computers: I switch them off and then turn them back on again. I tried this a couple of times with the Evoque and it worked like a charm. As far as I'm concerned it's pretty pathetic when you have to re-boot your car to get it out of the driveway.

Later at breakfast when I tried to check on Dash using the nanny cam, there was a big red warning message on my phone that said "We are not able to establish a connection with your baby." I bet this message has made a lot of worried parents rush back to check on their baby in a big hurry. Instead of rushing home, I remembered how I'd gotten the car to go in reverse an hour earlier. I turned off the iPhone and then turned it back on again. The next time I checked the nanny cam, it worked perfectly. Dot and Dash were sleeping peacefully on the bed, just like they always do.

I still haven't gotten the standing water of the roof. It was a very busy day.  In addition to my doctor's appointment, there were photos to edit and color correct, websites to update, and two more articles to write. Somehow, I managed to squeeze in my Friday breakfast outing as well.  I don't know how peaceful the weekend will be, but there will definitely be fewer pills to take. I'm going to follow my doctor's recommendations and cut out the supplements for now.

Pogo it today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1339

My photo shoot went well today. Taking pictures of a giant industrial machine wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, but I think my client will be happy with the images. The only thing that went wrong during the shoot was that I got grease stains on a nice new pair of shoes.  I should know by now that proper attire for taking pictures in a factory is always something you wouldn't mind being ruined. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks though. I always try to wear something nice when I meet a client. I spend so much of my life in ratty clothes only the dogs ever see, that I find myself actually looking for situations to look presentable.

When I was driving around today, I noticed something new about the Evoque. Not only does this car have a rear view camera, it has a total of five different cameras, including one pointed straight down at the road to make sure you are driving between the white lines. I found all these cameras more than a bit distracting. Shouldn't you be spending your time looking through the windshield?

I was so busy with work today that I didn't even bother to sweep last night's rain accumulation off the roof. That's one of the nice things about having a roof that doesn't leak anymore. The water can just stay up there until it's convenient for me to remove it. Granted, this is an odd way to look at the whole situation. It would be much nicer if the water just drained off the roof all by itself. I guess that's too much to ask though. I've never seen a flat roof in my life that really drained properly.

After I made some changes to a client's website this morning, I noticed that the new content we added was already there. I looked at the date stamp on the files I discovered and was a bit chagrined to realize that they had been sitting in plain view for over two years. The client and I had both just forgotten they were there.

I was having trouble making a restaurant reservation tonight and Janet told me to use Open Table instead. Sure enough, even though the person I talked to on the phone said they were completely full, I quickly and easily made a confirmed reservation at exactly the time I wanted using Open Table. Obviously somebody is wrong about how full the place is, but I guess we won't find out who it is until we arrive.

I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow. If things go according to plan, I'll spend my time describing real and imagined side effects of the meds I'm currently taking, while the doctor writes out new prescriptions for even more meds. I'm not nearly as enamored with prescription drugs as most doctors are. I'm convinced that some of the stuff I'm taking now will eventually wind up on one of those "1-800-BAD-DRUG" commercials twenty years from now. I'll be the first to acknowledge that some medications do exactly what they ware supposed to do. I just don't know which ones I can trust.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1338

I took the Defender in for service this morning and ended up driving home in a new Range Rover Evoque. I'm kind of glad the dealer gave me a loaner with hail damage because I'm always nervous of getting a ding in these loaner cars. This one was so full of dings that I've got nothing to worry about. The Evoque seems to get a lot of good press, but I'd never buy one. It's too small, too low to the ground, and has terrible viability. I don't know who they're marketing this car to. It's not an off-road vehicle. It's not a family SUV. And it's not really pretty enough to be a sports car. I sure hope they don't make the new Defender look anything like these things.

This was another day where I had to schedule everything around a series of brief but intense rainstorms. The dogs managed to get both their walks, but just barely. Both times, there was a downpour within minutes of returning to the house.  When the sun came out right after lunch, I used the opportunity to clear the water off the roof. That was pretty dumb, because two hours later, it was raining again.

I was a little nervous about taking Dot to her acupuncture session today. Now that Dash has decided he's scared of rain too, I kept wondering if a sudden thunderclap might trigger another seizure. All was fine though. Although the sky was dark and ominous looking, it didn't rain at all while Dot and I were away. When I checked in on Dash using the nanny cam, he was sleeping on the bed, just like he always does.

In case you think I do nothing buy cater to the needs of spoiled dogs, there was other work to do as well. I finished several new articles, answered some client questions about online forms, and paid a pile of new bills that arrived in the mail today. When I entered the payments in my accounting software, they didn't balance. This happens a lot these days. No matter how careful I am, I inevitably make an erroneous entry and end up having to check everything a second time. This seems to be an unfortunate by-product of growing older. Even the simplest things seem to take an excruciatingly long time. The same thing happens when I'm writing. There are typos galore.

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow, because I've got a photo shoot scheduled. It's just some industrial photography that will ultimately wind up on a website, but it's still a nice break from sitting in a small room and writing with two dogs under my desk that think the sky is falling. I need to charge all my camera batteries and make sure the equipment is in working order before I go to bed tonight. The photography side of my business is not immune to my forgetfulness.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1337

What a difference a few hours make. This morning was so slow and uneventful that I wrote a letter to my Luddite, historian sister who still refuses to use the Internet. Writing letters on paper that actually travel through the mail is becoming a lost art. I'll have to admit I'm losing the knack myself. My problem is that I can never think of anything to say that I haven't already said on the blog. I keep thinking that if I could just convince my sister to read the blog, I wouldn't have to write these redundant letters.

After I mailed my letter, I began to look for a way to attach a quick release plate to my heavy-duty Miller tripod. What a dummy I am. While I was measuring things so I could order the right sized plate, I discovered that my tripod already had a built-in release plate. I've been using this tripod for over ten years and had never noticed the little button that releases the attached metal plate from the top of the fluid head. Until today, I though the plate was permanently attached. If I'd noticed this handy feature back when I was shooting a lot of corporate videos, it would have saved me a lot of time.

I was convinced that the entire day was going to be slow and uneventful until my calm was disrupted by the screech of an extreme weather alert on the television. The dogs know what these weather alerts mean now, so their storm phobia behavior immediately escalated to DEFCON-1. After I confirmed on the iPad weather radar that a bad thunderstorm was indeed headed our way, I did what I could to calm Dot and Dash. Storms didn't used to bother Dash at all, but he has learned his fear of bad weather from watching Dot. Ironically, Dot wasn't scared of storms when she was a young dog either. She acquired her storm phobia from watching Petey, an older Dalmatian we had before Dash joined the family. Petey's storm phobia was so severe that I can understand why it left a strong impression on Dot. One day during a storm he completely destroyed the carpet in the bedroom, trying his best to dig a hole straight to China. He didn't make it to China, but he did manage to scratch his way all the way through the plywood sub-floor under the carpet.

When the storm arrived, I got under a big blanket with the dogs and huddled with them for at least thirty minutes until the booming thunderclaps began to subside. I don't know why this works, but it usually does. Maybe since dogs are pack animals, they feel more comfortable huddled together with their pack in a cave. It took me a while to discover this simple solution to storm phobia, but I go straight for the blanket now whenever I hear a storm approaching. Now that I don't have to worry about a leaking roof anymore, a thunderstorm is just an excuse to go take a nap with the dogs.

I take my car in for service tomorrow to get the harmonic balancer I order a few weeks ago attached. Hopefully, this will finally cure my engine vibration problem. If this new part doesn't work, I don't know what I'm going to do. I need to keep the Defender running another two years until the new Land Rover Defenders hit the market. I'm going to be real disappointed if Land Rover decides not to re-introduce the Defender 90 to the United States after all. I've been looking and I still can't find anything else I'd be satisfied driving.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1336

My gym is about as close as I'll ever get to experiencing Ground Hog Day. Every time I go, there is an old man reading the same book while he pedals a stationary bicycle very slowly. There is always a very thin girl who is speed walking endlessly around and around the oval track. And then there is someone who looks a lot like a competitive cyclist putting an elliptical machine through its paces as fast as he can while continually turning his head from side to side. There are other familiar faces as well, but these three are amazing. No matter when I arrive, they are always there, doing exactly the same thing.

I got a new photography job today, but other than that, it was a pretty typical Monday. Monday's are almost a textbook definition of boredom. Very little happens on a typical Monday, so in lieu of productive work, I invent little chores. I water the lawn. I do laundry. I don't usually try to catch up on things, because I've caught up already.

I should just go to a movie on days like this, but there hasn't been a new movie that has caught my interest for a long time. I'm becoming paranoid about leaving the dogs as well. Now that both dogs are prone to have seizures, I have this fear that the one day I take off for a long time will be the day that something terrible happens and I won't be there when they need me to take them to the emergency vet. I shouldn't think this way, but once your mind starts going in this direction, it's hard to snap out of it. I find myself checking the nanny cam on my phone quite a bit while I'm at the gym. Today Dash was so still that I thought for a minute that he might be dead. Luckily the nanny cam has a zoom lens. I zoomed in all the way and I could see him breathing. Then, it was back to the hand bicycle for another twenty minutes.

I think my social media efforts might have plateaued. Have people finally discovered that I seldom post anything new on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook anymore? There's still something new every single day on the blog of course, but you, my faithful readers, are a dying breed. Hardly anyone bothers to read blogs anymore. I don't know if I should care about the slow, but steady attrition of followers on Twitter. It's not like I'm going to start doing anything new at this point.

My research on seizures has netted me a lot more questions than answers. It seems that medical science has discovered, mostly through trial and error, a variety of ways to control seizures and minimize their severity, but nobody really knows what causes them in the first place.

As you can see, there are so few wildflowers left that I've started taking pictures of rocks.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1335

Now I remember why we tried so hard to wean Dash off of phenobarbital the first time he had seizures. The drug seems to make our excitable boy even more hyper and agitated than normal. Dash never could ride calmly in a car when he was on phenobarbital before, and it appears like this behavior has returned. It's weird that a barbiturate would make a dog agitated and wild, but that's what happens with Dash. When phenobarbital was given more commonly to humans, a paradoxical reaction was sometimes observed in children. This is where the drug causes the opposite effect of what you would normally expected. Makes sense in a way. Dash certainly acts like a child.

It was a nerve wracking trip to the dog park this morning, but once we got there, Dash seemed fine. After they had a chance to play in the park for a while, we took the dogs to the Dalmatian Rescue "meet and greet" event. Dot and Dash were both polite and well behaved. I was surprised at how many people came up and told us that they had never seen a real Dalmatian before. The breed is becoming increasingly rare and that's a good thing. When the "101 Dalmatians" Disney movies were popular, everybody wanted a Dalmatian and puppy mills began breeding them. Now, the dogs are harder to find and most people who have a Dalmatian understand the breed and really want one.

I think I determined the problem with my old Apple laptop myself. All it took was thirty minutes of searching on Google and I discovered that if I took the keyboard off and disconnected the PRAM battery underneath, the computer would probably start up and began to recharge. Sure enough, when I did this, it worked like a charm. I bet this is exactly what the technician did when I took the computer in for repair last year. Just like the electrician who charged me $100 to fix a switch, the computer technician probably charged me $100 to disconnect a wire, recharge the battery, and then connect the same wire up again.

So many things in life seem easy once the mystery has been revealed. I am continually amazed at how easy some plumbing, automotive, and household repairs turn out to be when you actually watch the repairman at work. Of course charging a lot for intrinsically easy things is a double edged sword. Some of my best clients have discovered how easy it is to design websites and decided to do it themselves.

Next week looks busy already. There are client meetings on the calender, I've got to take my car in for repairs again, and then there's the vexing question of phenobarbital vs potassium bromide. I've read everything I can find about both meds and still don't know which is the best way to control seizures.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1334

When we took Dot and Dash to our favorite dog washing emporium this morning, we discovered much to our surprise that it was no longer there. The building was empty with a "For Lease" sign on the door. There wasn't an explanation for the abrupt departure. Not even a "We've Moved" message or phone number. Something must have gone terribly wrong. Established businesses don't typically disappear overnight.

We managed to find an alternate place to wash the dogs, but it was a shame to see another neighborhood business bite the dust. Businesses I like seem to have a habit of going bust. I could make a long list of beloved restaurants, furniture stores, camera stores, indoor dog parks, old fashioned hardware stores, and esoteric hobby shops that are no longer around to amuse me.

I've often thought I ought to hire myself out as a new business consultant. In an odd way, my judgement is almost infallible. If I love your business idea, it's going to fail. If I hate your idea, you'll probably make millions. Time after time, businesses that I thought were tailor made for people like me just couldn't make it in Dallas. Businesses I'm not so fond of, on the other hand, seem to thrive. As evidence, there are Wal-Marts, McDonalds, and Payday Loan stores on every corner in this town.

I thought it would be a good day to recharge batteries today and discovered that an old Macintosh laptop that I had spent a considerable amount of money repairing not so long ago, wouldn't boot up anymore. I think I've only started up the old laptop three times since I had it repaired and now it's broken again. If my luck holds true to form, my warranty on the repair probably ran out two weeks ago. That's usually what happens. I don't need this computer at all, but I hate to throw it away. I need to join some sort of twelve step program for people who can't throw things away. I continually fix and repair old things I don't need and seldom use, "just in case" I might need them someday.

Dot and Dash are going to be doggie ambassadors for Dalmatian Rescue tomorrow. That's one reason we gave them a bath today. The dogs are usually quite well behaved at these pet store events. I seem to remember that this particular store has a big glass case filled with rabbits and ferrets however. Show me a dog that isn't interested in rabbits and I can almost guarantee it isn't a Dalmatian

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day