Day 2124

Sometimes you can't win. If you're a photographer, you've probably heard of ImageBrief. It's actually a pretty cool idea. Members get an e-mail every day with a list of images that buyers are looking for. If you happen to already have an image that meets the description and like what the client is willing to pay, you can submit the image in your files for approval. Usually, I have nothing to submit, because I don't happen to have pictures of Norwegian children playing on a beach in Vietnam, or small green frogs sitting on top of a mushroom. Art directors can be quite specific. Today, I saw that someone was looking for multiple images taken inside an aircraft maintenance facility. Perfect! As luck would have it, I was once asked to take hundreds of pictures of a large aircraft maintenance facility. This was kind of an odd subject, so I thought I wouldn't have much competition. I looked on the shelf where I used to keep my outtakes, all neatly arranged in ring binders. Of course they weren't there. The pictures hadn't been there for years. All the clear plastic pages filled with Kodachrome slides were in the storage warehouse somewhere. You'd think it would be an easy task to run down to my storage space and get these images. Nope. There are tons of ring binders, filled with old ad copy, financial records, letters, photos, and assorted other stuff, all boxed away in unmarked banker's boxes. I have absolutely no idea where the photos from the aircraft maintenance assignment are.

Even if I managed to find the photos, what would I do then? Also somewhere in the storage warehouse is a very nice old 4000 DPI Canon film scanner that hooked up to your computer using a SCSI cable. SCSI was great back in the 1990's, but Apple hasn't supported this outdated interface in decades. Maybe Kinkos could convert the images, but I didn't have time anyway. The submission deadline was seven hours away. Oh, well. This was definitely a missed opportunity. The pay was good and I had some great pictures. I just couldn't find them. So far, the only pictures I've actually submitted to ImageBrief were when someone was looking for pictures of dogs in costumes. I guess they didn't like the costumes Dot and Dash were wearing.

My breakfast restaurant has hired a new server and for the second week in a row the guy has tried to clear my plate away while I was up at the coffee bar getting my second cup of coffee. Each time I said "Hey, don't clear my plate away. I'm not finished yet." You'd think the guy would know by now that I always go over and ask the barista for a second cup of coffee midway through my meal and then get a third refill in a to-go cup just before I leave. The guy apologized profusely, but he's not very observant.

The software I currently use to create mobile friendly websites just announced a major upgrade that will allow developers like me to create sophisticated content management systems. This new CMS capability is of course a lot more expensive than what I'm currently using. If I were creating complex blogs, online catalogs, or an online version of The New York Times, this fancy new product would be very valuable. Most of the websites I create are pretty simple though and I'm afraid that the software I'm just starting to become comfortable with will soon be discontinued. Nothing is permanent these days and almost all cool new software products are subscription based. I hate the Creative Cloud and all these subscriptions, which explains why I'm still using a very old version of Photoshop.

For some unexplained reason, Dot pooped all over the house around 1:30 PM. I wasn't expecting this, because she had done her business normally on her morning walk. When she does this, I'm usually safe until at least 4 in the afternoon. Life is full of surprises. I cleaned up the mess and did a load of laundry while I was updating a website the old fashioned way using an ancient version of Dreamweaver. I'll admit it. I'm a dinosaur, but at least I was a T-Rex back in the day.

Maverick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2123

Everyone seemed tired today. Dash wasn't eager to leave the house and just slept on the bed for most of the day. Dot was slow on her morning walk and even slower in the underwater treadmill later in the day. I was tired too, mostly because I didn't sleep well last night. Dot had an accident in her bed during the night, but that wasn't really what kept me awake. Occasionally, I just don't sleep well.

There was a medical emergency when we went to the vet for Dot's physical therapy session and we had to wait a while to get started. It was OK though. We sat in a quiet room on Dot's acupuncture mat and I almost fell asleep. We had to slow the treadmill down a bit today, which was a bit of a disappointment. Dot did so well last week that I was hoping her improvement would continue. You've got to take things one day at a time with an old dog though. Some days are better than others.

When I mentioned Dash's recent problems with his rear legs to Dot's vet, she thought it might be more serious than I was initially led to believe. Of course, Dash wasn't even there, so this diagnosis didn't really mean much. I might not have even been describing his condition accurately. It was good to learn more about a luxating patella however. This floating kneecap condition can result in temporary lameness when the kneecap slips laterally out of position. The condition is often self correcting and the kneecap snaps back into position in a matter of seconds, but in severe cases it can get stuck out of joint and surgery may be required. If your dog has a floating kneecap, it is important to keep them moving, because strong leg muscles help keep the kneecap in place. Glucosamine and Fatty Acids can help lubricate the joint. Sometimes Adequan injections help as well. Dash has another appointment next week to see if the inflammation has subsided. Like everything else in our life, we'll just take this one day at a time as well.

The days go by so quickly now. Each day has a little ritual that acts like a placeholder. Today it was taking Dot to physical therapy and getting the week's trash hauled out to the curb. Tomorrow I have my breakfast outing and Saturday I stock up on groceries. There are monthly rituals as well. Pretty soon it will be time to sent out my October invoices. Every night before I brush my teeth I run a test print to keep the large printer from clogging. My morning smoothies have become a ritual and unfortunately, so has cleaning up dog poop in the house. People have learned that it's usually not a good conversation starter to ask me what I'm doing this weekend. Usually, they already know.

I hope Dash's condition improves. One lame Dalmatian is enough for anyone. It's good that slow walks are actually beneficial for dogs with a floating kneecap. Dot enjoys having a companion to walk with and slow walks are all she's got left. The walks are definitely a ritual. The dogs keep their noses to the ground looking for interesting things to smell, while I keep my nose in the air, looking toward the sky. Today the Moon, Venus, and Mars formed a tight little triangle in the eastern sky. I'm still hoping to catch a glimpse of Mercury.

Madison is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2122

I had an actual deadline today, so things were a little busier than usual. I met the deadline and even had time for a revision. We'll see if the deadline was real when I find out whether there are further revisions tomorrow. I've learned from experience that a lot of deadlines are imaginary. I'm not complaining though. It was actually a good thing that I had something to keep me busy while I waited for the guy from Dent Zone to come out to the house and fix the dent on my car.

The technician from Dent Zone arrived right on time and in less than ten minutes the dent was gone. I'm always amazed at how this process works. I used to think that they used some sort of vacuum process to suck the dent out from the outside of the car. They actually push the dent out from the inside. There's definitely an art to removing dents this way. The guy had some special tools that he inserted through the rear door window and gently pushed the metal back in place. I asked him how long it took him to learn this odd skill and he told me it took him three years. The guy was good though. There is absolutely no sign that a loose shopping cart ever hit my car.

Dash is still having problems with his leg. The limp is very sporadic and there's no telling when it is going to occur. Today he walked absolutely normally for about fifteen minutes, hopped on one foot for about five steps, and then resumed walking normally the rest of the way home. The more I watch Dash walk, the more I'm convinced that the vet was right. I think he did strain a ligament and the knee is loose right now. I know from experience how easy it is for a knee or shoulder to go out of joint. I injured my knee in college, and even after surgery, it still occasionally goes out of joint today. I've learned to anticipate many of the things that cause my knee to go out of joint, and for the most part, it doesn't cause me a lot of problems. This is probably harder for a dog. I'm sure Dash doesn't know what is going on when his knee pops out of joint and just starts hopping as a reflex. The vet says the ligament is not torn and should heal by itself. I hope she's right.

I got an e-mail from Jawbone today telling me that there was a new firmware update for my fitness band that would double the battery life. I wonder how they managed that? The UP band still has the same battery and I would assume that the capacity is the same as well. It's quite a trick to extend the battery life from seven days to fourteen days with a software patch. I downloaded the update because I appreciate longer battery life as much as the next guy. I still wonder what they did though. Maybe they just turn the band off periodically and use an algorithm to estimate what I'm doing while it's off. I'm not sure how accurate these things are anyway. The UP band and my Apple Watch never agree about the number of steps I take during the day.

I wish I could go back to afternoons for Dot's Thursday physical therapy appointment. Believe it or not, I'm having trouble getting out of the house in time to make an 11 AM appointment. My simple routines apparently take an enormous amount of time. I'll have to make sure to keep things moving along tomorrow. I can always save some time by not dawdling over breakfast. We bought too many bananas this week, so this morning I put an extra one in my smoothie. I won't do that again. Two bananas is definitely one too many. I'm going back to my original recipe tomorrow.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2121

I think I know what's wrong with Dash now. He appears to have stretched or pulled the ligament covering the kneecap on his right rear leg. At first this would seem to be some sort of odd sports injury, but apparently it is not uncommon for male dogs to pull a ligament when they scratch the ground vigorously after they pee. Dash does this all the time. It was how he tore his paw pad earlier in the year and now he has injured his leg doing the same thing.

The good news is that the damage is not permanent.  If we can keep Dash quiet for a few weeks, the inflammation in the injured ligament should subside and everything should return to normal. Have you ever tried to keep a Dalmatian quiet for a few weeks? It's not an easy task. I'm glad he hasn't torn his cruciate ligament though. ACL injuries typically require surgery. I'm glad he doesn't have hip dysplasia either. Things could be a lot worse.

Our trip to the vet was the most interesting thing that happened all day. The rest of the day was pretty dull. Cleaning up poop during the night and early pre-dawn walks have become the new normal. I've talked to other people with aging dogs and Dot's incontinence is pretty normal. In fact, Dash's vet told me that she was having the same problem with her own dog. Once a dog loses the ability to squat properly, you're going to have problems.

I learned today that Klout has discontinued their Perks program. As the recipient of many of those Perks, I was very disappointed to hear this. I always enjoyed getting random free stuff in the mail. The things you received were seldom very valuable, but Klout did make an effort to learn your interests. I got lots of dog food, dog treats, and dog toys. The best thing I ever got was a voice activated WiFi thermostat which I'm still using. The theory behind the Perks was that by sending free stuff to people Klout considered to be social media influencers, the brands they were pushing would get talked about on Twitter and Facebook and more people would buy them. I think the flaw in their theory was how they defined influential. I'm not influential. I like getting stuff in the mail, but I doubt that I ever influenced anyone to buy anything in my life. Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted.

I've started looking at star charts before we go on our morning walks. These pre-dawn walks are the most sustained amount of time I've spent in the dark for a long time and I might as well learn something. Right now, you can see Jupiter, Mars, and Venus in the morning sky. Pretty soon, these planets will be joined by Mercury. I've only seen Mercury a few times in my life because it is always visable very low on the horizon. It remains to be seen if I'll be able to catch a glimpse of Mercury later this month. There are lots of trees on the Eastern horizon and I have a feeling that by the time Mercury clears the treetops, it will be too close to sunrise to see it.

The peaches and bananas in the kitchen still look pretty fresh and there's a leftover pork chop in the refrigerator for dinner. I think I'm all set for another day.

Cassie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2120

I've been thinking about the concept of just enough lately. I've got just enough money coming in so I can pay my bills, but not enough to change my lifestyle. I've got just enough energy to take care of my own aging dogs, but not enough to rescue other animals. I've got just enough imagination to fix things around the house, but not enough to actually invent anything. I've got just enough tenacity to continue writing this blog everyday, but not enough to make documentary films anymore. I could go on and on. If you were to ask me how I'm doing these days, I'd probably answer "I get by."

Sometimes I think this state of affairs shows a serious lack of ambition on my part. At other times, I think being content with just enough is both practical and wise. Some of the most unhappy people I know are those who have overextended themselves and no longer have the resources to climb out of the hole they dug for themselves. You don't want to be a slacker though. I think the key to staying both productive and sane is to actually know what your limits are and never cross that invisible line.

I've started taking naps during the day when Dot gets me up in the middle of the night to change her bedding. It helps. An hour nap can make a big difference when you're up at 3 AM cleaning up poop. I no longer tell my clients when I'll have their projects finished. I just start at the beginning and methodically work my way towards the finish line. Artificial deadlines are stressful and I've discovered that my clients are still happy with how quickly I work. I no longer buy things using money I'll make next month. This had been a hard habit to break, but I'm a realist. My income fluctuates more than it used to and it's crazy to worry about how I'm going to pay for something I probably don't need anyway.

I got a check in the mail today, so I paid the electric and U-verse bills. Dash still seems to be having a problem with his right rear leg, so I made an appointment to take him to the vet tomorrow. I've examined the leg carefully and can't find anything wrong, but that doesn't mean there isn't a problem. Dash is a strange dog and the sporadic lameness could be anything. Hopefully the vet will be able to give me a better idea of what is going on.

I've been wondering why the Holly bushes in our yard don't have as many bright red berries as they used to. Now I know the answer. Squirrels eat them. This afternoon a watched a pair of squirrels pick the new green berries off a bush one by one and eat them like candy. They also eat the St. Augustine grass and dig unsightly hole int he ground to bury the acorns that have started falling from our three large Oak trees. These squirrels are destructive little rodents. I'm not a big fan of squirrels. Dot isn't a fan either and it really makes her mad that she no longer has the strength to chase them.

I've really grown find of my morning smoothies. I make them using a two raw eggs, a little half and half, three tablespoons of uncooked oatmeal, a whole peach, a half a dozen strawberries, a handful of blueberries, a banana, two scoops of vanilla ice cream, and a coffee cup full of ice cubes. Delicious! I could probably live on Vitamix smoothies and soup. The machine makes fabulous fresh soups too.

So there you have it. A good breakfast tomorrow and a good report from the vet about Dash and I'll be a happy camper. Well, I'll be happy enough anyway.

Lightning is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2119

It takes forever to clean a house filled with inexpensive throw rugs. Some rugs can be vacuumed. Others must be thrown in the washing machine, because they tend to get sucked into the Dyson. A few rugs don't seem to do well with either the vacuum cleaner or the washing machine and must be taken outside and shaken. The rubber backed rugs that go in the washing machine must be dried at a very low temperature, so the rubber doesn't burn up in the dryer. To clean the larger rugs; furniture, dog beds, feeding bowls, and a variety of other stuff must be moved. When I'm finally finished, nothing looks very different at all. I must have accomplished something though, since the Dyson canister is always filled with dirt, small leaves, and lots of dog hair.

I'd love to have our pretty brick floors back, but it will probably never happen. I'm already starting to see signs that Dash is beginning to have problems with his rear legs as well. Dash is already having trouble jumping in the car and doesn't leap up on the bed like he used to. Occasionally, I notice a slight limp on our walks. I always worry that he may have torn a cruciate ligament. This happens quite often with older Dalmatians. Today, he had a brief spasm in his left rear leg that caused it to shoot backward. He seemed startled and uncomfortable. I quickly examined him and could find nothing wrong. About a minute later, he was fine again. This strange behavior worries me, so it's time to go to the vet again. I'll schedule an appointment this week.

I was already tired from cleaning the house, but decided to go to the gym anyway. Sunday is really the only day with no conflicts. When I arrived, there was a work crew boarding up a section of the building. Apparently one of the geezer customers had driven their car straight into the building when they were trying to park. One of the main reasons I go to the gym is to avoid winding up like these people. It is clear that many of them waited far to long to get on the straight and narrow path. I had a good workout, but was terrible on the basketball court for some reason. It always seems strange to me that some days I can sink a long string of free throws in a row, and other days I can't find the basket at all. I've done this for so long, that you'd think that I'd be more consistent by now. I know what I need to do. It's all hand/eye coordination. You'd think I could eventually learn to replicate the perfect shot.

Dot seemed restless this weekend. That's actually a good thing. I'm always encouraged when she has enough energy to roam around the house on her own. When she's feeling bad, she just sleeps in her dog bed. Today was a good day. She wandered freely around the house without her harness. She had good energy on her two walks. And best of all, there were no accidents in the house. There have been days when she pooped in the house right after I finished cleaning it. This wasn't going to be one of those days.

I hope I get a few checks in the mail this week. There are already October bills to pay and a couple of clients are way behind on their invoices. I wish there was a life beyond working to pay bills, but I haven't found it yet. I suppose I could just live off my investments, but the market is so volatile and flaky that I have no faith that the investments will last. It's easier to just keep on working. I try to keep Dot's brain from turning to mush by keeping her active and engaged. It seems to be working. It doesn't take a genius to realize that I've got to stay active and engaged as well. Writing helps. Working helps. Walking helps. That's what we'll be doing tomorrow.

Jersey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2118

On Saturdays we make lists. There are groceries to replenish. Sometimes we need furnace filters. Other times its light bulbs. Clothes get taken to the dry cleaner and dogs get washed. We seem to run out of everything from dog biscuits to bottled water at an alarming rate. I like to think we lead a simple, frugal life, but maybe we don't. We never shop together. That would be pointless. Sometimes if I find a better deal on something, I'll text Janet so she can take it off her list. Often I'll come home and discover that we already have something I just got at the store. Hey, the lists aren't perfect.

The dogs did a much better job of sleeping in this morning. I don't know if they understand the concept of weekends, but they did let us sleep until almost 7 AM this morning. No accidents either. That's always a good way to start the day. I was amazed that it was only 57 degrees when we left the house this morning. If only it were this nice all the time. I'd better enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. Usually around Halloween the rainy season starts again. April and October are my favorite months in Texas. The other ten months make me wonder why I moved here.

I did a little website work this afternoon. I certainly didn't need to work today, but the dogs were sleeping nicely and I didn't want to wake them. If I go outside, they think it's time for a walk. If I go in the kitchen, they think it's time for dinner. They seldom get excited when I'm in the office though. Even a dog knows that what I do at the computer is boring. I got quite a bit done before Dash realized that it actually was time for dinner. Once he sounded the alarm, Dot was quick to follow.

I'm not really wild about the new season of Dr. Who, but I'm eagerly watching each new episode anyway. Maybe they'll get better. The relationship between Clara and the Doctor has always seemed a bit odd to me. Rose and Amy Pond were much more effective as the Doctor's companions. The thing that bothers me is that Clara and the Doctor both seem to have embraced the role of superheros. They start each episode looking for trouble and they find it. It's almost like a cartoon. I still watch though. I can't think of anything better to do on a Saturday night.

The Martian is in movie theaters now. Will I go watch it on the big screen or just wait a few months until I happen to see a the DVD in Sam's Club when I'm out buying toilet paper? You guys probably already know the answer to this one. You never know. I could be super bored on a Tuesday afternoon sometime and notice that the movie is still playing at a nearby dollar theater. It's not likely that I've ever drive across town to see it.

Tomorrow it's time to go to the gym again. It's probably time for vacuuming, mowing and all the other Sunday chores too. Time sure flies. This time last week I was charging camera batteries and getting ready to take pictures at the Dalmatian Rescue golf tournament. If you're wondering what the strange looking flower is, it grows on an aptly named tree called a Buttonbush.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2117

The furnace came on this morning. I wore a light jacket and jeans on our morning walk, instead of a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. The Elm tree in the back yard has started losing its leaves. The grocery stores are full of pumpkins. And the State Fair of Texas has taken over Fair Park. Could it be that Fall is officially here? I hope so. The dogs and I like the cooler weather. I just wish we'd go back to Standard Time. The days keep still getting shorter and even when we sleep in a bit, it's still dark when we get up. Sometimes it's fun to look at the stars, but walking in the dark every day gets a little old.

Today was busy. After I had my usual Friday breakfast and made a trip to the grocery store to get the ingredients for a cheeseburger dinner, I started to work on my new website projects. Much to my chagrin, I'm already having to re-learn some of the coding tricks I mastered just a few months ago when I decided to build mobile friendly websites for all my clients. When I'm faced with a choice between use it or lose it, I usually lose it. To really become familiar with something, you have to use your skills every day. I'm just not involved with enough new web projects to remember all this complicated responsive design stuff. I floundered around for a couple of hours, but eventually it all came back to me. This would be a good time to send a new project my way. I'm sure I'll remember the coding tricks I brushed up on today at least until Thanksgiving.

The Land Rover dealer surprised me by calling mid-afternoon to tell me that my car was finished. When I took the Defender in for service, it would often stay in the shop for weeks. This time, they had everything finished in two days. I don't think service has really improved. It's just a different car. There is only one guy who works on the older Defenders, while all the mechanics work on the newer cars. I wish I hadn't told them to change the oil. I'm so used to changing my oil every 3,000 miles, that I continue these frequent oil changes even though my service representative keeps telling me that the synthetic oil I use now is safe for much longer intervals. I'm learning the hard way that synthetic oil changes can get pretty expensive because my engine seems to hold an enormous amount of oil.

Dot had an accident in the house this morning, but it was really our fault. Janet and I were both very tired last night and we all went to bed early. When Dot woke up in the morning, she overslept with the rest of us and was already an hour overdue for a trip outside. She just couldn't hold it any longer. It takes split second timing and a careful eye on the clock to keep a poop free house these days. Some days, I'm just not up to the challenge.

The UPS man delivered some new ink for my large printer this afternoon. Epson pigment ink is the only thing more expensive than synthetic engine oil. I'm determined to keep the old printer running, even though I've spent a lot more on ink than I initially paid for the printer. I try to keep my machines operational, my watches wound, and my dogs happy. What else is there?

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2116

We started the new month with a new schedule. We go to our physical therapy sessions in the mornings now. Mornings are good because Dot is less likely to poop in the car. On the other hand, mornings are not so good because there isn't much time to get ready. By the time we took the dogs on their morning walk, ate breakfast, took a shower, and got the car ready, it was time to go. Dot definitely didn't like riding in the Evoque. I tried my best to make a comfortable flat surface, but her bed still had a bit of a tilt to it and Dot managed to get stuck. I had to stop a couple of times along the way, but eventually we made it to our destination.

Even though Dot wasn't happy about her ride, she did amazingly well in the treadmill today. She was strong enough that we were able to increase the speed and do a small amount of interval training for the first time in several months. No accidents in the house today either. Actually, we have had very few accidents this entire week. I'm not sure we can attribute this pleasant turn of events to the Melatonin we've started giving her before bedtime, but it's the only change I can think of.

Work was surprisingly busy today. I got two new website projects that will keep me busy for a while. I'm not sure how excited I am though. One of the projects is kind of a pro bono deal that I won't make any money on. The other project has such a low budget that it's hardly worth talking about. That's the state of web design these days. Take it or leave it.

There was another tragic school shooting today. Once again the shooter was a young male. Hasn't anyone figured it out yet? Terrorist shootings. Gang related shootings. School shootings. They all have one thing in common. These crimes are almost universally committed by young men. Instead of endless agonizing about mental health and gun law issues, just ban young men from having guns. Period. Make the penalties for possessing a gun so severe that no young man would even want to go near one. So, how would you enforce such a ban? You couldn't. You probably can't enforce any other solution either. That's the problem of living in a free society. The obvious solutions are impossible to implement without destroying the free society we all claim to love. Do we want safety or freedom? Eventually, we have to decide.

I got a call from the Land Rover dealer today telling me that they are working on my car. Does this mean it will be done soon? Not necessarily. I've gotten these sorts of calls before and then waited a week or more before the car was actually finished. I don't really care how long it takes, but I'm guessing that Dot would really like to have things wrapped up before next week's physical therapy session. She hates the Evoque.

There's already another update to the buggy IOS 9 on my phone. I'm downloading it now. The current system is causing all sorts of problems with my WiFi network, but you have to be connected to WiFi to download the new system. This may take a while.

Tori is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2115

I was glad the yellow warning light came on again when I was driving to the dealership this morning. At least the repair guys won't think my suspension problem is something I imagined. Who knows how long the repairs will take. It always seems to take much longer than I anticipate. This is probably why Land Rover has always been pretty generous with their loaner cars. If you've got a free loaner car, you're not going to complain as much about how long the repairs are taking.

Since I like to complain, I'll complain a bit about the Evoque anyway. The car is more expensive than the larger LR2 or the appealing new Discovery model. It has a small 4 cylinder engine and terrible visibility. The rear seats don't fold flat and the engine shuts off when you stop at a light. The stop and go engine is supposed to be a feature, but it is a giant annoyance to me. I never really believe the engine is going to start again when the light turns green. I hope they are able to fix my suspension quickly. I'm not looking forward to driving the Evoque for the entire month of October.

It was a nice warm day, so the dogs wanted to sun themselves in the backyard after lunch. Instead of lying in the grass, Dot now likes to lie in the Monkey Grass beds next to the greenhouse. This is killing the Liriope plants, but I don't have the heart to make Dot move. I did a little gardening while I was watching the dogs. It's always been difficult to grow the type of plants I want, but surprisingly easy to grow weeds. If I don't pull the weeds, they crowd out the good plants. As I was pulling weeds, I noticed that clumps of them made a pretty good makeshift broom. I used the clumps of weeds to brush away a dense mass of spiderwebs on the back windows. I thought this was pretty clever, since clearing away the spiderwebs with a regular broom typically ruins the broom. The webs stuck to the clumps of weeds like a charm and them I just threw them away.

I've been having trouble with my phone ever since I upgraded to IOS 9. A lot of the apps I use don't recognize the WiFi network anymore and use cellular data instead. I looked on the Internet and a lot of other people are having the same problem. Apple needs to fix this quickly. As soon as people start realizing that they've inadvertently maxed out their data plans by using cellular data when they thought they were using WiFi. My watch is having trouble getting the temperature from my phone as well. Makes me wonder about the wisdom of upgrading my laptop to the new El Capitan system. What could possible go wrong?

I still haven't figured out how to get Dot in the Evoque for tomorrow's physical therapy appointment. That will be my after breakfast project, unless a new writing job accidentally falls in my lap.

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2114

At the rate I'm going, I could probably continue this narrative as a series of Tweets. 140 characters a day would be plenty. Today, I picked up some more Levothyroxine for Dash and went to the gym. That was about it. I read an article recently that said if you want to stay busy in your fifties and sixties, you need to spend your forties building a strong network of contacts and relationships. Oops, my bad. I was still kind of social in my late thirties, but by the time I turned forty, I had already started avoiding people. I stayed busy for a long, long time because almost everybody I knew eventually became a client. The fatal flaw in this plan was that I never knew that many people in the first place and had no desire to meet more. Now, it's become one of those Humpty Dumpty situations. All the king's horses and all the king's men...you know the story.

If I wanted to make contacts, I definitely should have picked a different gym. I'm usually the youngest person working out. The people here are ancient.  I picked this cardiovascular and fitness center because the facilities were fabulous, but forgot that it is run by a major hospital. Most of the members seem to be recovering from heart surgery or cancer and almost everybody has a nurse or personal trainer. Needless to say, I usually have the basketball court all to myself. Usually, I like this somewhat unique situation, but on days where I'm feeling isolated, exercising with a bunch of geezers doesn't really help.

I'm not sure that I even have the capacity to get out and about anymore. Even when I'm at the gym or running small errands, I worry about Dot. After all the time I've spent with her, I'd feel terrible if she ended up spending her final hours alone and scared. Dot knows that I am her legs and she depends on me. I don't know how much time she has left, but I want her remaining days to be happy ones, right up to the very last day. This is why I kind of liked it when work kept me chained to the computer. Dot was always nearby. The work kept me busy. And the money the work generated allowed me to buy enough technology toys that I never had to think about my dwindling circle of friends.

I passed a bookstore on my way to the gym and briefly thought about stopping and picking up some more books to read. That would be too spontaneous though. I'll probably pass this same bookstore three or four times before I actually stop and look for a book. I've passed the new breakfast restaurant a couple of times too, but still haven't gone in and ordered breakfast.

I need to remember to take my car to the dealership tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure that the suspension problem is real, since the yellow warning light has come on several times now. The car still handles well, but the squeaking noise is kind of ominous. I hope this is a warranty item. Anything that isn't covered by warranty at the Land Rover dealer usually ends up being very expensive. I hope they don't give me an Evoque for a loaner car. It's too hard to load Dot into the small Evoque when we go to our physical therapy sessions. If I'm lucky, they'll give me one of the last remaining LR2s in their loaner fleet.  I learned a long time ago that they'll never lend you a Range Rover.

It's too bad the Pope isn't still around. The messages of hope on TV have already been replaced by politicians accusing each other of being liars. By the time the election actually rolls around, I suspect that everybody will hate all of them.

Sweat Pea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2113

Each day is kind of like our morning walks. We cover the same terrain over and over again, but still manage to find something new. I like the way the seasons change and the stars progress across the sky. I see faces and shapes in cloud formations and notice the migration patterns of birds. I'm quick to notice a new flower along the trail and can detect a temperature change of one or two degrees. Noticing the little things keeps life interesting. Well, it helps anyway.

Appreciating nuances is an acquired taste that has taken me decades to master. I'll try different blends of coffee each morning, but I'll always limit myself to two 10 ounce cups. Sometimes I'll substitute strawberries for peaches in my morning smoothie. I try to find variety within a two mile radius, but I'll seldom venture further. I'm fascinated to discover there are still things to learn from books I've already read and movies I've already watched. Even though my job requires me to keep up with the latest technology, I'm still discovering new things I can do with Photoshop 7.0.

If I didn't appreciate nuances, I'd probably go stark raving mad. Not much happens in an average day. I submitted some new photos to Shutterstock this morning. At this rate I should be able to earn a comfortable living from stock photography by the time I'm 95. I vacuumed the house this afternoon because I promised Janet I'd clean all the rugs and carpets if things weren't busy this week. Why postpone things? I couldn't even pretend that things were busy today. Dot seemed to appreciate the effort I made cleaning things, because there were no accidents today.

The geek community on the Internet is buzzing about the discovery of liquid water on Mars. I guess I always suspected there was water there somewhere. Comets are made of water. Hydrogen and oxygen are among the most abundant elements in the universe. Temperatures on Mars are often above freezing. Why wouldn't there be water? I doubt that the water on Mars is drinkable, but some of the water on Earth isn't either. I imagine that we'll find lots of water on other planets in the next hundred years. What really surprises me is that we live on a planet where the sun and the moon are almost exactly the same apparent size in the sky. What are the odds of having a moon that almost exactly covers the disc of the sun during an eclipse? That certainly doesn't happen on Mars.

I need to find a more interesting way to spend my days. This minimal life of mine can't really be healthy. What to do? I don't really like volunteering or travel, and I'm not sure that work will ever pick up significantly. I thought my clients would be excited when I learned how to do mobile websites, but most of them didn't even notice the improvements I made to their sites. I doubt that they are going to tell their friends how cool their new responsive websites are if they don't even understand what they've got. Oh, well. I'll upload some more images to Shutterstock tomorrow. Maybe I'll go photograph a squirrel.

Spanky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2112

A yellow warning light appeared on the dashboard this morning when I was driving to the golf tournament. Suspension Fault the message said. The warning light was a little alarming, since I was driving on a busy freeway.  At least this warning will validate my assertion that something is wrong with the suspension when I take the car in for service next week. I continued on my way to the tournament, not really knowing if the warning meant a wheel was about to fall off, or that I should just prepare myself for a big repair bill next Wednesday.

This was our fourteenth annual golf tournament. It's hard to believe that Janet and I have been working with the rescue group this long. We didn't even have a golf tournament when we initially started volunteering with Dalmatian Rescue. Tournament attendance probably peaked a few years ago, but there were still a respectable number of players today and everybody was having a good time. The weather was great and the course at the Tour 18 club was in good shape. All we needed were a few more people. It's really hard to sustain an event like this. People get older and interests change. Die hard golfers always enjoy a round of golf though, so I imagine that we'll continue having our tournament for many years to come. This is almost always our biggest fund raiser of the year and we've helped a lot of dogs along the way.

Even though the tournament was a long way from Dallas, our dogs didn't have to stay alone long. Janet went first to check people in and then when I arrived to take pictures a few hours later, she went home again. Dot and Dash were fine today and probably end up being left alone for much longer periods of time on a normal weekday. It would have been a lot different if we'd just taken one car. Neither dog can really handle being left alone all day anymore. When Dot and Dash were younger, we used to take them with us to these tournaments. The rescue group always picks a dog friendly golf course and many people still bring their dogs with them. Those days are over for us. Dash would freak out on an hour long car ride and Dot is simply too frail.

There were light clouds on the Eastern horizon this evening, but I still got to see tonight's rare super blood moon lunar eclipse. There have been a lot of lunar eclipses this year, but there won't be another super blood moon until 2033. I wonder if I'll still be around then? At least this eclipse was early in the evening, so I didn't have to get up at three in the morning like the last blood moon. I need to get a bit more serious about taking pictures of the moon. Once again, I just pointed a hand held camera at the sky and depended on the camera's image stabilization to keep the moon in focus. It was interesting that I could see the red color more clearly in the camera's electronic viewfinder than I could with my eye. Maybe the sensor is more sensitive to red light.

There was no time to clean the house or go to the gym this weekend, but there should be plenty of time to catch up on things next week. Work is still alarmingly slow. Maybe when the Jewish holidays are over, my writing jobs will pick up again. Until then, I've got plenty of time to read. I think I'll go out and buy a copy of Jennifer Lawson's new book. She was one of the people who got me interested in blogging back in the beginning. I wish more bloggers would break out of obscurity and wind up on the New York Times best seller list. It doesn't happen nearly often enough.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2111

I had to make some changes to a website this morning and was quite surprised that the hosting company no longer accepted my password. Since I'm one of the only people who has the password, this could mean one of two things. Either the site had been hacked, or my client had fired me without bothering to tell me about it. Either way, it wasn't good. I couldn't get any help from tech support because they needed the password to verify my identity. I couldn't get any help from the client because you can never get hold of clients on weekends. Maybe some people can, but I've never have much luck.

The weekend definitely wasn't getting off to a good start. Earlier, both dogs woke me up around 4 AM when I heard them wandering around the bedroom. We immediately took Dot outside to pee. I looked around to see if there were any accidents and then discovered there was poop in the bed. It wasn't in Dot's bed, it was in ours. This totally baffled me. It is physically impossible for Dot to get in the bed anymore and Dash has never, ever pooped in the house. What was going on? Is there a racoon living in Janet's closet? Did something scare Dash enough to poop? The dogs weren't talking. The only thing that I can think of is that Dot actually did poop in her bed like she often does when she gets up to shift positions. Maybe Dash saw the little turd in the dark, thought it was a dog treat, and then immediately spit it out when he discovered what it really was.

The bedspread immediately went in the washing machine and then a little later a rug went in the next load of wash when Dot pooped again while she was eating her breakfast. After that, life got back to normal. Well. it wasn't completely back to normal, because I was still wondering if I had gotten fired from one of my busier website accounts. I wasn't getting many answers today.

After breakfast, I started charging batteries for tomorrow's photo shoot at the golf tournament. I still can't decide whether to take my favorite DSLR with the optical viewfinder, or the newer and more reliable mirrorless camera with the electronic viewfinder. I really like the older camera but sometimes the auto focus motor gets stuck and I have to focus manually. Digital cameras with optical viewfinders are on the way out, so when this one finally gives up the ghost, it may be my last. I'm not looking forward to this photo shoot at all. It is too tiring for me.

The suspension didn't squeak at all today when I went grocery shopping. Intermittent problems drive me nuts. I've already made an appointment to take the car in for service and if the mechanic can't replicate the squeak, they'll say nothing is wrong. I know something is wrong. Yesterday, the suspension made a lot of noise.

Late in the day, the website client returned my call and told me that he had changed the password because he had forgotten the old one and needed to change something on his e-mail account. The e-mail he needed to change wasn't on the webserver though; it was on the GoDaddy server. Nothing got changed on the web server except the password. Oh, well. I wrote down the new password and spent the rest of the day doing what I had hoped to finish early in the morning.

I wish I'd never upgraded my phone to OS 9. The battery definitely isn't lasting  as long as it used to. I hope my batteries last tomorrow at the golf tournament. I always seem to be at the mercy of batteries.

Suki is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2110

Today was filled with familiar routines. As the days get shorter, it gradually gets darker and darker when we begin our morning walk. Orion was high in the sky and I could see all three morning planets as we left the house. Venus was highest in the sky, followed by Mars, and finally Jupiter, low on the Eastern horizon. It takes us about 45 minutes to complete the walk, and by the time we return, it is almost daylight. I make the bed when we get home and make sure to put a couple of packets of Stevia in my pockets before I leave for breakfast. I like it that everybody knows me at the restaurant. The barista knows my coffee order. The cook has my breakfast cooking on the grill before I even get up to the counter to pay for it. I rarely talk to people, but I feel like I know the other customers too. Most of the regulars have been here as long as I have. Everyone has their favorite table, and most people seem to order the same thing every week too. Maybe I'm not so strange after all.

When I go to the grocery store after breakfast, the butcher knows which cuts of meat I'm going to select for dinner. The guys at the Sushi counter usually know what I'm going to want as well. There a Chef Prepared section in the store where I usually pick up pre-cooked side dishes. With only one or two people eating dinner during the week, it's hard to keep fresh vegetables from going bad. You just can't buy things in small enough quantities to cook for one.

The dogs always get a rice cake for lunch. They both love to eat and this is one way to let them enjoy the pleasure of eating without gaining weight. There are practically no calories in a rice cake and the dogs seem to love them. Going outside after lunch is part of the daily ritual as well. Dot still likes to go outside, but she often forgets why she's there. Sometimes she'll stand in the same place for minutes at a time and other times she'll just wander around aimlessly. You have to be patient with her. I know Dot is getting senile, but that's OK. She still seems very happy with her life.

The dogs sleep enough during the day that I've never had any problem getting my work done. I give the dogs my undivided attention when they're active and then I work while they're asleep. Lately, there hasn't been enough work to fill the dog's sleepy periods and I've been getting bored. I used to try to make new business contacts or learn how to use a new software application when work was slow. Now, I mostly just read a book or watch something on Hulu. Life is definitely slowing down. The Pope is ten years older than I am and he seems to have the energy of a forty year old. It's almost embarrassing how much energy he has compared to me. How does he do it? Maybe if you have something important to do, you rise to the occasion.

My career as an ad man may be on the back burner, but the dogs still think I'm important. They both depend on me and I try not to let them down. For the time being, this means watching the sun rise every morning, serving as Dot's rear legs, and doing lots and lots of laundry. If you'd asked me ten years ago what I'd be doing when I was sixty seven, I wouldn't have imagined this. It's OK though. I just wish Dot were healthier.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2109

I finished the book I've been reading. I watched the Pope's address to Congress. I deleted a section on a client's website that was no longer necessary. I paid a few bills and took them to the post office. It was a very uneventful day. I should use days like this to embark on ambitious personal projects, but I haven't been very ambitious lately. Most of my energy is spent taking care of Dot. Anything that is left over is usually frittered away. I wonder what to put in my morning smoothie when peaches go out of season. I wonder why some of my watches run fast and others run slow. I do the stretching exercises for my shoulder without a lot of enthusiasm. I'm torn between wanting more excitement in my life and being terrified of it. When all else fails, I take a nap with the dogs.

Yesterday I updated the operating system on both my phone and the Apple Watch. Battery life seems better on the watch now, but worse on the phone. This happens every time I update an Apple operating system. Location services is what kills your battery on the iPhone. Apple is very sneaky about trying to get information from the millions of phones it sells. If you're not careful, your phone is constantly sending information back to Apple about all manner of things. I learned today that the phone sends your GPS location back to Apple when the motion sensors detect that you are in a moving car. Apple uses this information for a crowd-sourced database of traffic conditions that can be used with their map application. I don't really care about the privacy issues. I turned this function off primarily because it is a battery hog. As soon as I manage to find all these hidden battery drains, Apple will update the system again and I'll have to start all over.

I find it interesting that both the Democrats and the Republicans are already trying to spin the Pope's speech to congress to support their own agendas. The speech seemed pretty clear and direct to me. I don't know why the politicians and pundits are spending so much time explaining what the Pope was trying to say. They should have just listened to what he actually did say. As I said earlier, I'm not a terribly religious person, but the Pope's speech today made most of what I've heard from the current crop of presidential candidates seem pathetic. How did we ever become so divided?

This weekend the Dalmatian Rescue group has its annual charity golf tournament. I have taken pictures at this event for many, many years. Every year it seems a little more tiring. I don't understand the fascination people have with golf. It takes a long time to play eighteen holes. It is often hot and muggy. Last year, I inadvertently knelt down on a fire ant mound to get a shot of someone on the putting green and was instantly bitten by hundreds of ants. It took almost a week for the swelling to go away. I'm not going to kneel anywhere this year. We can't leave Dot for very long, so Janet and I will trade off this year. She'll check people in before the tournament starts and then come home. I'll go take pictures of the golfers and then come home. Then Janet will go back to the awards dinner. When this event is over, I don't think I have any more events until it's time for Santa photos again.

I'm still debating whether to try the new restaurant tomorrow. It's tempting, but I hate dealing with those school zones. I'd better not postpone this too long or the place might go out of business.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2108

It seems to take longer and longer to get Dot to her physical therapy sessions. Today, when I started to get her ready, she didn't have her harness on. It took quite a while to get her suited up, since she wanted to sleep instead. When I got her ready to go, she wanted to go out in the back yard instead of to the car. Once I had her outside, she stood around aimlessly for about five minutes and did nothing. She didn't even pee. When I finally got her in the car, we were already late. Traffic appears to be worse on Wednesdays too. I'm, glad we'll go back to Thursday sessions next week.

For the second week in a row, Dot seemed tired. We slowed the treadmill to one mile an hour and her walk was steady, but she used to be able to do much better. The treadmill speed goes all the way up to five miles an hour. That's pretty fast even for a regular human treadmill. I asked what the faster speeds were for and apparently dogs who compete in agility events use the treadmill's faster speeds for conditioning and endurance training. I imagine that there is a lot of water splashing around at five miles an hour. Dot enjoys the acupuncture portion of her therapy more than the treadmill. I think it relaxes her. Even though Dot is slowing down, we're still hanging in there. The therapy and the morning walks really do help.

I upgraded my Apple Watch to the new 2.0 operating system today. The upgrade took forever. Since you can't really plug the watch into anything, software upgrades have to be done using the Bluetooth connection to your phone. I guess the software download goes from the Apple server to your phone, and then from your phone to the watch. I initially got a bunch of error messages saying that I didn't have enough storage space available for the download. I abandoned the download, took Dot to the vet, and when I got home again thought I'd try downloading the software again. Apparently, it never stopped downloading the first time I tried, because the progress bar said that there were only 48 minutes left before the download was complete. That was a lot better than the eleven hours to completion message I got before taking Dot to physical therapy. The error messages were all gone too. Apparently the computers knew what they were doing, even if I didn't. I ate dinner, walked Dash, and when I got back, the new 2.0 operating system had been installed. The whole procedure seemed to take about six hours.

A former client called me this evening and asked if I could help him edit his Dad's first novel. This really wasn't my area of expertise, but I enjoyed catching up on things. When we used to work together, we both had a Dalmatian. I asked him if he still had Dalmatians and we spent the next twenty minutes talking about a succession of great dogs who lived long and happy lives, only to die of cancer at the end. Between the two of us, we had shared our lives with over a dozen Dalmatians.

I'm not Catholic or even very religious, but I've got to admit that I like Pope Francis. If only our own politicians could be this humble and direct. When politicians call themselves "public servants," it's a joke. The pope really does appear to be a public servant. He doesn't rely on opinion polls or focus groups, he just asks himself, "what would Jesus have done." I'm not sure that this philosophy would work for politicians though. It probably doesn't make the Vatican very happy either. If the president kept asking "What would George Washington have done" before making a decision, a lot of outcomes would be very different. I don't agree with everything the Pope says, but you could learn a lot from his simplicity and directness.

I'll need to remember not to go to physical therapy again tomorrow. We did that today. I'm so set in my routines that I could easily imagine putting Dot in the car and repeating things tomorrow. That's why I need the Apple Watch. I can't remember anything.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day