Day 3187

We enjoyed meeting the new rescue dogs this morning. Dot and Dash have been dealing with serious medical problems since 2014, so it's easy to forget how much fun a young, healthy Dalmatian can be. The dogs we photographed today were all super friendly, very active, and loved to play. I don't think it will be long before each of these pups finds their forever home.

Janet and I have gotten to know hundreds of these dogs over the years. They all had their own unique personality. It's surprising how many of these dogs I still remember. It's hard to remember the names though. Especially since there were a lot named Domino, Lucky, Spot, Patches, and Oreo. The older we get, the harder it is to remember all these names. We both forgot the name of one of our favorites today. After ten minutes of guessing in the car, we finally remembered the name was Spirit. How could we have forgotten Spirit?

When we walked Dash this morning, we found ourselves right in the middle of a big charity race. There were thousands of runners, but Dash still wanted to criss-cross the road from one side to the other like he always does. The runners definitely didn't want to slow down for an old dog, so we tried to find a new route. I wonder how well Dash can see? He seemed oblivious to the runners. Luckily, we managed to stay out of the way. I always wonder why so many people like to jog? Over time, running is terrible on the knees.The high impact exercise isn't great for the feet either. I guess this is one reason why knee replacements have become one of the most popular surgeries for people my age.

Dash got me up in the middle of the night again. Actually, he got me up three times. I don't think there is anything wrong. Dash has just changed his schedule. He doesn't care if he wakes me up. If I'm not fast enough, he'll just poop on the floor. He's hungrier now late at night than he is in the morning. I guess it's no surprise that he needs to do his business at 3 AM. I don't even remember what uninterrupted sleep feels line anymore. I need to ask my doctor whether catnaps count. I rarely sleep more than three or four hours at a time, but I nap a lot. All in all I probably sleep more than you do.

I'm really tempted to get the latest version of the Apple Watch. I still wear the original version every day, but this new watch adds the capability to take your own electrocardiogram and will automatically dial 911 if you fall and can't get up. The watch also has it's own internal GPS and cellular phone. Pretty amazing to a gadget geek like me. Probably in the future, all I'll need are the watch and a phone. I'm finding fewer and fewer reasons to turn on the computer every day.

It's back to the gym tomorrow. Janet already goes to her new gym at least four times a week. I see no reason to compete. Once a week is plenty. Hey, I still walk Dash twice a day. We're slow, but we're consistent. If I were walking one of those young Dalmatians we photographed today, I bet I would be in better shape than those runners we saw this morning. I can tell you from experience that keeping up with a young Dalmatian is the best exercise you can get.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3186

Today had its ups and downs. Dash pooped in a neighbor's driveway this morning and then a little later he lost one of his shoes. I cleaned up the poop the best I could, but losing the shoe was a big deal. As soon as I noticed the missing boot, I tried to get Dash to turn around and go looking for it, but he he can be very stubborn and wanted to continue going forward. Even though it was in his best interest, Dash wouldn't turn around at all. Luckily, we weren't that far from home. His exposed rear paw was dirty and scuffed up a bit, but there was no bleeding.

When I made sure that Dash has finished his breakfast and was ready for his nap, I retraced my steps and went looking for the shoe. These boots are way too expensive to be disposable, so I need to make an effort to find them when they fall off. I wish he'd been wearing the green or red boots today. They would have been a lot easier to find. The missing black rubber boot blended in with the ground and was much more difficult to locate than I expected. Eventually I found both the boot and its companion sock. Strangely, the sock and boot weren't together. I don't know how he managed to lose the sock before the shoe, but that's the way it happened.

I went back to Knife for breakfast this morning. They stop serving at 10 AM, and I barely made it. Hey, it can take a long time to find a missing dog boot in the park. The Brioche French Toast I ordered this morning was delicious. Knife is really a high-end steak house, but they serve a limited breakfast menu since they are located in a hotel. I'm glad I discovered this place. It's exactly what I was looking for. It's odd. I've been looking for a nice place to eat in the neighborhood for years and what I really wanted was a chance to pretend that I wasn't in Dallas at all.

On the way home I discovered that my favorite Macintosh repair shop had gone out of business. Damn. Just about every one of my computers has been serviced at this store at one time of another. The place was close to home, the service was great, and the technicians could fix anything. The whole experience was a huge improvement over going to the Apple Store. I shouldn't have been surprised that the place went out of business. If I like a place, it is almost certain that it will go out of business. My favorite furniture stores, hobby shops, camera shops, art galleries, and restaurants have all gone out of business. It's so inevitable that businesses I like will fail that I've thought about hiring myself out as a consultant. If I like your concept, just forget about it. Why throw your money away. Just invest in something I hate instead.

It's still raining here, but I need to remind myself not to complain about the weather. There are no downed trees. There are no high winds. And there is no flooding. I'm sure there is water on the roof, but it is just rain. I feel sorry for all those people on the Carolina coast, but I still don't understand why they are living on the coast in the first place. Don't they know that when sea levels rise, all their property is going to be underwater anyway.

Janet and I will try again to take pictures of the rescue Dalmatian tomorrow. It's hard to tell at this point if we will be successful. So far, the weather looks almost identical to what we were dealing with last week.

Nicholas is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3185

I've learned to be very patient with Dash. It took about five tries to get him walking this morning. He would go out on the back porch, sniff the air for a while, and then come back inside. I used to think that Dash was too tired to walk when he did things like this. Sometimes he actually is tired, but not always. Today, he just wanted a certain treat we keep in the refrigerator. When I finally figured out what he wanted and gave him the special treat, he turned around and headed straight for the back gate.

Living with Dash is complicated. You have to know the difference between stubbornness, dementia, fatigue, and pain. This morning Dash was being stubborn, but other days he is simply exhausted. I dread the day when Janet and I reach this stage of life. My Dad acted a bit like Dash in his final days. It must be very difficult to realize that your body and mind are deteriorating and know that there is nothing you can do to stop the process. Dash might not be fully aware of what is going on, but animals are smarter than we think they are. He's got to know that he isn't the dog he used to be and I'm sure it is frustrating.

Today was slow, but what else is new. Truthfully, today was exactly like yesterday and the day before. Tomorrow will probably be the same as last Friday. It might be exactly the same, because I'm planning to go back to the same restaurant I went to last week. I might try the French Toast this time.

I wonder why it is mandatory for TV weathermen to do live shots in the middle of a hurricane? Every time there is a bad storm, all the weathermen race to find the most dangerous spot they can and make their reports buffeted by wind and rain. I must have seen six different weathermen waiting on the beach for Florence to arrive today. I'm sure there will be even more tomorrow. Personally, I think living on the beach is overrated. With hurricanes, algae blooms, shark attacks, rip tides, and rising sea levels to worry about, I think I'd rather live in the mountains.

I have to go pick up the lithograph I took to the art conservator soon. The restoration is complete. I'm not looking forward to this. I don't really want to bring the art back to the house and I'm not sure the auction houses want it. Now that a lot of the other art has been consigned, this piece has become an orphan. It seems weird to spend a lot of money just to get a piece of paper to lie flat again, but what are you going to do. If I ever want to sell this thing, it's got to be perfect.

I don't know why I'm making such an effort to fix my mistake. I've bought plenty of stocks that were a mistake. I've accepted jobs that were a mistake. I probably need to accept the fact that storing art and guitars in a storage warehouse was a huge mistake and just accept my losses.

I hope I don't make any big mistakes tomorrow. I'll try my best to keep Dash happy. If it doesn't rain, I'll go out and have a nice breakfast. I'll probably take a few bills to the post office. That's probably enough for one day.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3184

Dash needed a lot of attention today. He got me up several times during the night and then when morning arrived he was slow and listless. We got him suited up for his morning walk, but in less than half a block, he turned around and wanted to go home. He wouldn't eat his breakfast and immediately went to sleep. I always worry that his heart condition has become worse when this happens, but he was breathing normally and wasn't coughing. I figured he would eat later in the day when he was hungry and I went ahead and fixed my own breakfast.

About 11 AM, Dash wandered out to the kitchen and started to eat. He didn't finish everything before he went back to his bed, but it was a start. Early this afternoon when I was getting ready to take a shower, Dash got up and headed toward the back door. I could tell he was finally ready for his walk, so I quickly got dressed, put his rubber boots on, and off we went. It was a little too warm, since it was the middle of the day, but Dash was determined.

Not surprisingly, he was pretty tired when we returned to the house and promptly went to sleep again.   For the rest of the day, every time I got ready to do something, he appeared by my side and let me know that his needs were more important. Dash has perfected the art of being needy. He knows I will never ignore him. I want him to eat, so I always feed him something when he heads for the kitchen. I don't want him to poop in the house, so I make sure to take him outside at regular intervals. He likes me to lie on the bed with him. The only way I can get anything done is to join him on the bed for a few minutes until he falls asleep and then quietly get up and go about my business.

The only thing on the agenda today was picking up a prescription at the pharmacy. I asked the pharmacist if they had the new shingles shot. My doctor seems to think I need this, even though I've already had the old shingles shot. For some odd reason Medicare pays for the shot if you get it at a pharmacy and won't pay anything if you get the shot at your doctor's office. It's exactly the same vaccine, but two different sets of rules. At the pharmacy, the shot is considered prescription medicine and is covered by Medicare Part D. In a doctor's office, the shot is considered a medical procedure that has not been approved yet. Nothing is covered at all. One more example of our bureaucracy at work.

I was trying to explain to Janet how strange Dash had been acting today, but he was completely normal by the time she came home from work. He eagerly ate his dinner, took a nice sunset walk, and then settled down with Janet to watch Netflix movies. I have no idea how he's going to be feeling tomorrow. Every day is a new day.

I didn't make the cut to cover the Mars landing at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I've applied for these NASA events twice before and was accepted both times. I guess my social media status has diminished. When I initially applied to cover a launch several years ago my Klout score was still pretty high and I had a ton of Twitter followers. Now, Klout doesn't even exist and I rarely even look at Twitter. Maybe NASA has finally figured out that I just write about my dog. I am on a waitlist in case some of the other participants cancel, but that rarely happens. When November arrives, I'll probably be glad I stayed home anyway. Lord knows how well Dash will be doing then.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3183 - 9/11

Pretty soon September 11 will be like December 7. Babies born in 2001 are entering college now. It's just a matter of time before this day becomes a page in a history book instead of a shared memory for an entire nation. Pear Harbor was real for my Dad. He fought in World War II. 9/11 was real for me. I took this picture of the twin towers out of my hotel room window in the late 1970's when I used to fly from Seattle to New York to edit commercials. I enjoyed my periodic visits to lower Manhattan back then. Anyone could walk around the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and it was always exciting to take the express elevator to the roof of the South Tower and look out over the city. I always wanted to eat at Windows on the World but never got the chance. It was a little pricey for a young advertising copywriter.

Sometimes I think the terrorists won. The world is not a friendly place anymore. We have become hopelessly divided on just about everything. My Dad spent several years in the Pacific during World War II and there was a clear and decisive victory. We've spent decades fighting in the Middle East and accomplished nothing. I don't have a lot of hope for the future. If we can't collectively agree on anything, it's going to be very difficult to fix anything. It's interesting. People used to spend a lot of time envisioning utopias. Now, we've replaced these utopian futures with dystopian calamities. Science fiction used to be about how we were going to reach the stars. Now, it's mostly about how we're going to die.

We didn't get off to a good start this morning. Dash pooped in the bed again and when we took him to his vet appointment, he didn't want anyone to even get close to his feet. Our very patient vet was finally able to trim Dash's nails, but it wasn't easy. Hopefully, we won't need to do this again for another two months. It's kind of alarming how easily Dash bleeds now that he's on Plavix. We were super careful about avoiding the quick, but several nails still bled a bit. I wish we'd come away with a good solution for ending Dash's loose stools, but there are too many possible causes. Dash's age, the meds he's taking, and his multiple illnesses all contribute to the problem.

I was glad I was able to walk Dash before our appointment this morning. By the time we left the vet, it was already starting to rain. The rain continued off and on for the rest of the day. We had a short power outage, but the lights came back on again before I was able to file a report. I have no idea why the power went out. There was no wind and the rain was just a gentle shower. Even though the outage was short, I still had to reset all the clocks and automatic timers. Just about everything has a clock in it these days. Even the thermostat and the coffee maker needed to be reset.

Dash doesn't want to go outside because it is raining. This increases the odds that he will poop in the house tonight. I've thought about placing puppy training pads under him while he sleeps. This worked with Dot when she became incontinent but I'm not sure if we'd have any success with Dash. Dash is still mobile enough to move around at night while we're asleep. He can poop just about anywhere.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3182

Sometimes I think going to the doctor is a waste of time. I'm rarely in a doctor's office because I'm sick. Most visits are routine checkups that were scheduled whenever I had my last checkup. The doctor mostly just asks how I've been feeling and if I need any prescriptions renewed. I keep hoping my doctor's will be proactive and discover something early that I am completely unaware of, but that rarely happens. I didn't learn anything new today with this particular doctor. I guess I'm good for another year.

I'm so slow these days that I barely had time to get ready for a 1:15 PM appointment. It takes at least an hour to walk Dash in the morning. It takes another hour to eat breakfast. Sometimes it feels like it takes an hour to just clean up the poop. I try to never schedule anything before noon unless it involves Dash. The daily routine just takes too long.

The doctor said I was well hydrated, which I've wondered about since I don't drink much water during the day. I guess drinking an entire blender container full of liquified fruit every morning gives me all the water I need. My blood pressure was a little high today, which was odd. I think the nurse just placed the cuff in the wrong place on my arm. The phlebotomist had trouble finding a vein too, which was even odder. My veins are like roadmaps on my arms and legs. They're super easy to find. Oh, well. At least I won't need to see this doctor for another year. He appears to think I'm in good shape.

We'll find out what kind of shape Dash is in tomorrow. Truthfully, I don't think we'll find out anything that we don't already know. If there was a cure for Dash's vestibular disease and leaking heart valve, someone would have told us by now. The most important thing that takes place tomorrow morning is getting Dash's nails trimmed. I'm always worried that he's going to rip a dewclaw out again and bleed to death. Maybe we'll find out something new about ending Dash's loose stools. We're tried just about everything, but I'm always open to suggestions.

I thought the weather was going to clear up today but we got more rain instead. At least a hurricane isn't headed our way. I feel sorry for those people on the East Coast. They seem to get hit almost every year. We always get a lot of rain at this time of year, but so far there has been no flooding. Knock on wood.

The art that I took to the conservator is ready to pick up. Now, what do I do with it? I shopped the piece around and the auction houses don't seem that interested. I definitely don't want to take it back to the storage warehouse because it will just get damaged by humidity again. Maybe I can delay picking up the art for a while until I come up with a plan.

Coming up with a plan is an ongoing problem these days. I really don't know what I want to do next.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3181

I just noticed that I've been listening to the same music over and over again at the gym. The repetitive nature of the gym's playlist wasn't readily apparent because it seems like I'm hearing a very long tape loop. I've been going to the gym long enough that I finally noticed that all the songs were always in the same order and that the list would eventually repeat. Maybe there is more to this. The people I see at the gym are always the same too and they keep doing the same exercises. I usually have the same dreams over and over and over again as well. Maybe folks like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Elon Musk are right. What if we are all living in a simulation? If serious people actually think that the universe is just an advanced civilization's version of The Matrix, it tells me one thing. It tells me that we don't really know much about anything.

Yesterday, when I was looking through the auction catalog, a photo by Laura Gilpin caught my eye. I recognized the building. Recognizing a building in a photo isn't a big deal, but this building doesn't exist anymore. It was the old saloon in Gothic Colorado. Gothic is a ghost town and I used to play in these crumbling abandoned buildings when I was a child. Our family spend summers living in an old miner's cabin in this ghost town during the late 1950's. The photo brought back a surprising number of memories, considering how young I was at the time. Simulation or not, I'll have to admit that I've had a pretty interesting life.

Dash had a bad fall while I was taking him out to pee early this morning. He slipped on the brick floor and all four legs splayed out. He couldn't get up and I was worried that he might have broken something. I lifted him up and kept him steady until he could get his bearings again. The mishap scared him and I wasn't terribly surprised that he pooped on the floor. After holding him for a few minutes, he began to take a few tentative steps. Five minutes later, he seemed back to normal. Normal for Dash means that he can stand up. It doesn't mean that he is very strong. It's just about time for Dash to start wearing the Help 'Em Up Harness like Dot did during the last years of her life. With the harness on, I'll be better able to keep him from falling.

Despite getting off to a very shaky start, it wasn't a bad day. I did see some blue sky peeking through the clouds. The weather was cool and brisk and after a rest, Dash was still eager to take his morning walk. We were really slow today, but I could tell that Dash enjoyed smelling things in the wet grass.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and Dash has a vet appointment on Tuesday. This is all it takes these days for me to think it's going to be a busy week. I hope Dash stays strong. He worries me a lot these days. At least he's eating well again. That's always a good sign. I need to start eating well myself. I've got to stop snacking on crackers and popcorn during the day and I need to cut out pizza entirely. We had pizza for dinner and I've already got heartburn. Hey, I've got over 15,000 steps on the Fitbit though. That ought to help.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3180

The weather was dismal today. We got up early and managed to get Dash walked before the rain started, but it was pretty wet after that. Since there was no thunder and lightning, we though it would be safe to leave Dash for a while to go photograph the new rescue dogs. That plan didn't turn out so well. There must have been a wreck on the freeway because traffic slowed to a standstill. Then the rain got heavier and we could barely see the road. It didn't take long to decide to take the nearest exit and return home. We can photograph the dogs another time.

Dash was still sleeping when we returned. I wish I could sleep as easily as he can. I had to get up several times last night to attend to Dash and I'm still tired. I tried to take a nap, but couldn't get to sleep. I had planned to stay home until the rain stopped, but after a few hours of doing nothing I got cabin fever and decided to do my Saturday shopping anyway. There must be a lot of water on the roof because it was flowing off the edges on all four sides when I left the house. At least the pump was still working. The pump should take care of the water on the carport. I'll deal with the rest later. One thing about a heavy rain is that your car doesn't get dirty. Driving is kind of like going through a car wash. When I returned from grocery shopping, the car was  actually cleaner than when I left.

I like listening to the radio in the car. I never listen to music. I like shows like Freakonomics Radio, The TED Radio Hour, How I Built This, Hidden Brain, and similar shows about science, technology, and economics. Most of these shows seem to be on NPR. I always learn something new and my favorite shows are when someone disproves something I've believed all my life. Why aren't there shows like this on television? Television is a wasteland.

It was a very slow day. Since there wasn't anything interesting on television, I found myself looking through the auction catalog I saw yesterday for the first time. It was interesting to read about the other art that was in the auction with mine. For a brief moment I wished I was a buyer instead of a seller. I did enjoy buying art when I was young. I wonder how the auction house acquired all this stuff. Some of the work was spectacular. I bet a lot of it came from estates. I've noticed that the large art auction houses have entire departments to deal with estates.

It is so humid today that the house feels damp even with the dehumidifier running. I wonder what it would be like to live in a house that was always dry and dust free? I'll probably never know. There is so much dog hair in the house that doing a load of wash just moves the dog hair from one article of clothing to another. Janet cleaned the floors today and I did the laundry. By tomorrow everything will be dirty again.

I hope the weather clears up tomorrow. I'll go to the gym either way, but I think the day would be more enjoyable if I woke up looking at blue sky.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3179

I enjoyed breakfast this morning. There was real china, heavy flatware, and waiters in white coats. The place was quiet and relaxing. Although the menu was limited, my egg sandwich was delicious. Eating in a nice hotel wasn't a bad idea. I'll probably go back.

I was surprised to see how high the lake levels were this morning because we didn't get any rain yesterday. It must have rained heavily to the north of us. Whenever there are heavy rains, huge amounts of trash and litter flow into the lake from the creeks that feed it. The water definitely looked ugly this morning. When the water recedes, this litter will be left on the shoreline. Eventually, people from the Parks and Recreation Department will pick it up. It's a shame that nobody in Dallas seems to be able to throw their trash in a can, but I'm sure other cities are even worse.

I'm glad there was time to take Dash on a nice walk this morning because it was our turn to get rained on today. As the day progressed, the sky got darker and darker. It's raining right now and that means there will be no evening walk. People always say we need the rain, but I don't know why. It hasn't been a particularly dry year. I don't like rain, but I'm slowly learning to respect it. Whenever I see all the forest fires out West and the hurricanes and floods to the East, I realize that Dallas is in kind of a sweet spot. We've managed to avoid weather extremes for quite a while.

I feel sorry for Elon Musk. He's getting crucified for making a casual comment about taking his company private and then smoking pot on TV. Musk is the Thomas Edison of our generation. I think people ought to cut him some slack. Steve Jobs got treated the same way for quite a while. It's weird. If you're a businessman or a politician, you're expected to follow conventional rules. If you're a musician, anything goes.

We've discontinued the probiotic Dash was taking and his poop is slowly becoming firmer. This is counterintuitive but what do I know. The disappointing thing about veterinary and human medicine is that everything is so compartmentalized. Nobody seems all that good at evaluating the big picture. It seems obvious that health is a combination of lifestyle, diet, heredity, and medications. Doctors always focus on the pills though. Somehow, I feel that Dash would be doing better if he were eating exactly the right thing. I'd probably being doing better if I were eating exactly the right thing as well. I don't have any answers, but I do think that nutrition should be just as important as pharmacology in medical school.

I saw the auction catalog for one of the Fall auctions today. It was weird to see my picture right up there with some pretty well known art. I'm no art historian, but I recognized some of the other images up for auction immediately. I'm hoping that this might be is my Antiques Roadshow moment. I don't want to get my hopes up though. Auctions are weird and unpredictable. Nobody might bid at all. I have art in two different auctions and both are in October. Lets hope they do well.

Janet wants to take pictures of some new rescue dogs this weekend. If the weather improves, that's what we'll do. I still am unwilling to leave Dash alone in a storm, but I'm actually looking forward to taking photos again. Life is so slow, that I look forward to doing almost anything.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3178

I've noticed that some of the Spring flowers have started to come back in the Fall. This doesn't happen every year, but I've seen it before. I wonder about things like this. Apparently, even annuals and perennials aren't entirely predictable. You usually don't see Antelope Horn Milkweed in the Fall, but there it was this morning.

The wildflowers may not be predictable, but the congressional hearings certainly are. I think you could substitute footage of Neil Gorsuch for Brett Kavanaugh on TV and nobody would know the difference. The questions are the same and the two guys even look kind of the same. Why do we even do these things? Everybody decided how they were going to vote a long time ago. Just vote guys. The endless bickering isn't going to change anything.

Dash was confused this morning. Janet left the house before dawn to take a new class at her gym. When Dash woke up, he panicked when he discovered that his friend was no longer next to him on the bed. It took me forever to convince him that everything was OK. He kept looking for her in every room in the house. I tell Janet now to be sure to say goodby to Dash when she leaves. He's become very needy and doesn't like surprises.

I wish Dash knew that I don't like surprises either. Especially at night. Dash is never very predictable about when he needs to go out at night. Luckily, I almost always wake up when he jumps off the bed. I immediately get up and race to open the back door. For the past several nights he's made it through the open door and pooped on the porch. I'm always grateful when Dash makes it outside. The mess is much easier to clean up when you can use the garden hose.

I got this letter today saying that some company had been bought by another company. "This change will have no impact on your current policy or the quality of service you receive," said the letter. What the hell were they talking about? I didn't recognize the name of either company. Was this a scam, a mistake, or something I had forgotten about? It could be anything. It looks like one more useless thing I'll have to track down. This is what modern life has become. Everything is a potential scam and even if it's legitimate, you know it's going to be a nuisance.

There were storms all around us this evening, but we managed to give Dash his evening walk without getting wet. The trash has already been taken to the curb as well. Basically, I'm done for the week. I'm thinking of going to a hotel for breakfast tomorrow. I haven't done that for a while. Sometime eating at a hotel gives me the illusion of traveling without having to go anywhere. We'll see how I feel in the morning. If it's raining when I wake up, I won't be going anywhere.

April is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3177

It was hard to avoid congressional hearings today. As I flipped between channels while I was eating breakfast, I came to the conclusion that the Internet was going to get regulated and Judge Kavanaugh was going to get confirmed. It's a shame that the Internet became monetized. Money ruined it. I wish we could go back to the early 1990's when going online was about as popular as amateur radio. Who needs Facebook and Twitter? When I first discovered the Internet, it was a sparsely populated wilderness. There were no hackers and no fake news. The only people I ever ran into were a few like minded geeks. I would gladly ditch my fiber optic connection and go back to a 2800 baud dial up modem if we could return to those days.

Going back to the past has become a recurring theme with me. After a while I tired of the congressional hearings and flipped over to an oldies channel so I could watch ancient TV Westerns. Did you know that Gene Roddenberry and Sam Peckinpah started their careers writing for shows like Have Gun, Will Travel and The Rifleman? Some of these old shows are surprisingly good. They are all simple morality plays, but so was The Twilight Zone. Maybe that's what I miss in today's world. There is no morality at all.

I cashed the check from the Federal Trade Commission today. Usually I deposit even very small checks, but I just took the cash on this one. I was still a bit suspicious about the whole thing. I didn't see any sense in giving another government agency my bank account number. Rationally, I realized that this kind of thinking was pure silliness. If the government knows that I bought three light bulbs over five years ago, they probably know everything. Let's face it. Privacy doesn't exist anymore.

Dash didn't need to go outside last night, but that doesn't mean that I got a good night's sleep. Dash had some pretty serious dog dreams and kept trying to push me off the bed. I'm glad he can still run in his dreams. He certainly can't run in real life. All the thrashing around woke me up three times. I've just about given up on ever getting a good night's sleep. I don't think I'm seriously sleep deprived though because I've started napping during the day.

When I wasn't napping, I made some changes to an animal rescue website. This was the first time I'd done any website work in almost a month. I didn't make any money, but it was nice to know that I hadn't forgotten everything. I still maintain a few sites, but I doubt that I'll ever develop a new one again. Who wants to hire a seventy year old Luddite? Jeez. I've even lost interest in keeping my own website up to date.

Hey, I'm still interested in astronomy and photography. Maybe it's just reading a quick article on Google, but I still try to learn something new almost every day. I'd like to try and combine these avocations if we ever live someplace with dark skies. Until then, I'll continue drinking fruit smoothies and cleaning up dog poop.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3176

I got this check from the Federal Trade Commission today, along with a note saying that it was my share of a class action settlement involving light bulbs. What? I wasn't aware of being involved in any sort of class action suit. My first thought was that this was a scam. Have you ever received a check in the mail that has a small disclaimer saying that by cashing said check you agree to a lifetime of magazine subscriptions, a debit card from a foreign bank, or a ridiculously expensive term life policy? I am very suspicious of checks that mysteriously arrive in the mail. There are so many scammers out there. I did some research online and it appears the check is legit. The government recently mailed out fourteen million dollars worth of these checks to people like me. But how did they know I bought the light bulbs? I didn't tell them. I feel sorry for the light bulb company. The suit claims that the company made false statements about the light bulbs brightness and reliability. Jeez. I've had these LED bulbs in my bathroom for over five years and they work great. They haven't burned out and they're pretty bright. This pretty well sums up my feelings about class action suits. For the most part, they're just a way to make lawyers rich. They probably put that company out of business. That being said, I'll go ahead and cash the check. It might pay for gas next week. No, it wasn't a large check. I just don't drive very much.

I've got to figure out how to cure Dash's digestive problems. The loose stools and diarrhea are driving me crazy. I had to clean up another big mess last night and then had a hard time getting back to sleep. The first thing you're supposed to do if your dog has loose stools is take a sample to your vet to test for parasites. Done that. There were no parasites. We're read that a diet of chicken and rice can help cure the problem. That's what he's been eating for over a month and it hasn't helped. Dash is also taking a probiotic the vet prescribed and that isn't doing much either. It's frustrating. We've read that diarrhea is a known side effect of heart disease. If that's the case, there probably isn't much we can do. Diarrhea and incontinence is a really bad combination. At least when Dot became incontinent, her poop remained firm.

I got a letter from the phone company saying that my account had been compromised. So what else is new? This is almost a routine occurrence these days. By now, probably everyone in the world has had an account compromised in one way or another. The letter apologized for the inconvenience, but said that no sensitive information was revealed. Easy for them to say. They apparently did get my phone number though. Maybe that explains the increase in robocalls I've been getting lately. My landline is almost 100% telemarketers and robocalls now. I feel like the phone company should be paying me.

I walked Dash and paid a few bills today. That was about it. Someone got killed last night riding one of those rental scooters I've started seeing all over town. It was only a matter of time. I've seen people riding these things on busy city streets. Nobody wears helmets and the flimsy scooters go pretty fast. Why did the city approve these ridiculous things? I really need to move to a small town. City life is becoming increasingly strange.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3175 - Labor Day

There wasn't a lot of labor taking place at our house today. It rained all day. Sometimes the best thing to do on a day like this is nothing at all. Dash did get his walks, thanks to the weather radar app on my phone. I don't know how I used to survive without weather radar. Even on wet, dreary days like this, there are usually opportunities to walk your dog. It's all a matter of timing.

Janet went to the gym, but I didn't feel like doing much of anything. I ended up watching a Strange Inheritance marathon for quite a while. It's fascinating how ordinary people often end up with extraordinary things. One of today's episodes was about a family who had a Rembrandt hanging on their dining room wall for decades and nobody knew what it was. When the parents died, the kids took a lot of their stuff to an auction house that specialized in estate auctions. Even the auctioneer didn't realize that he had an old master painting. Several weeks before the auction they put everything on their website where the painting attracted the attention of three European art dealers. The bidding started at $500 and quickly went to six figures. When the bidding was over, the lost Rembrandt sold for over a million dollars. It turned out to be genuine too. There were other episodes about a family who inherited a zoo and then there was the guy who inherited a huge collection of army tanks. There is nothing strange or valuable in my family tree. I'm pretty sure of that.

Dash got wet on one of today's walks, so we decided it was the perfect opportunity to give him a bath. Bathing a dog who can barely stand up is not an easy task. I think I got more water on me today than Dash did. Dash definitely needed a bath. He pees on his feet a lot these days. After we washed and dried him off, he definitely looked and smelled cleaner. Next on the list is to get his nails trimmed again. That's going to be a lot harder than a bath.

Today's heavy rains mean that the grass is going to start growing again. I was kind of hoping that I was done for the year. I should have known better. The weather is unpredictable here. It's not uncommon to still be mowing grass in December. I'm going to have to go up on the roof again too. I don't think I'll do this tomorrow. According to the forecast, it's supposed to keep raining.

If tomorrow is as wet as today, I'm going to have to come up with a plan. I'm not sure if I can tolerate doing absolutely nothing for two days in a row. It's a good thing that I have a high tolerance for lethargy, because I think this might be a very slow week.

We'll see what happens. I could wake up to sunshine tomorrow. I just hope that whenever I do wake up that I've been sleeping for a long time. Let's try for six hours. Waking up every two hours to take Dash outside is wearing me out.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3174

I went to a Labor Day sale at REI on my way to the gym. I don't need anything, but I've spent so many years as a consumer that I still find these sales hard to resist. I ended up buying another Goal Zero emergency back up power supply that that can be charged with solar cells if necessary. Hey, it was half price. I already have a larger model of this type of product and have only used it once. You never know though. These things might come in handy. I guess deep down I'm a prepper at heart. I always expect the worst and want to be prepared. I also just like gadgets.

Janet's been looking for a new gym and I've been telling her that I like mine, but there weren't any classes. How did I know this? Well, I stopped seeing a schedule of classes on the bulletin board. Today, the lady ahead of me while I was checking in asked about classes and the receptionist reached in a drawer and pulled out a brochure. I guess the place still has classes after all. I guess it wouldn't kill me to ask questions now and then. Janet has already found a gym with the classes she wants, but I think mine had them too. Oops. This should have been a teaching moment, but I didn't talk to anybody today either. I never talk to anyone at the gym. They should have put that brochure on the bulletin board.

A firetruck went by with sirens wailing while we were walking Dash this morning and we started hearing coyote pups howling nearby. It seems a little early for the local coyotes to be having pups, but maybe not. There seems to be a new litter every year. We don't see coyotes much in the Summer, but they're out there. As the days grow shorter I'll have to be on the lookout for them when we're walking around sunrise.

The only thing we were on the lookout for today were loose dogs. I usually recognize the dogs we see in the park, but on holiday weekends there are a lot more dog walkers. There's almost always someone who can't control a large aggressive dog. Sure enough, we saw one of these people today. They're easy to recognize. The dog is usually on one of those long flexi-leashes and often races toward other dogs as the owner tries in vain to reel the dog in. I hate those flexi-leashes. We kept our distance and there weren't any problems.

I saw a baby snake on the porch while I was taking Dash out to pee last night. Where was the mother snake? Since snakes lay eggs, maybe the mother had long gone. I hate to take chances though. I'm always nervous about snakes and dogs.  Dash wouldn't stand a chance with a snake. This little snake looked harmless, but I snagged it on a stick and flung it out of the yard anyway. I don't like snakes.

I watched a show about eating healthy on PBS this afternoon while Dash was taking a nap. I've heard this information before and I'm sure it's true. Bread and pasta are the enemy. Refined flour converts to glucose almost immediately in your body and causes blood sugar spikes. Fruit and vegetable are good. Lean meat in moderation is good. But bread is bad. So what did I have for breakfast this morning? Two big country biscuits with bacon and egg inside. To make matters worse, I had pasta for supper. Oh. well. There's always tomorrow.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3173

Every time I see one of these celebrity funerals on TV, my first thought is "Damn, I'll be lucky if ten people show up for my funeral." It's odd who we choose to remember. I've known some amazing people who were promptly forgotten as soon as they were in the ground. That being said, I'll give Aretha the win for this weekend's funeral fest. It's hard to compete with a hundred pink Cadillacs and a complete outfit change every time the casket was moved. Oh, and I almost forgot the minister who groped Ariana Grande during the service and said her name reminded him of something on the Taco Bell menu.

I think there ought to be services for dogs. I'm talking about real formal services with prayers and eulogies. Why not? I know a lot of people who were more upset when their dog died than a family member. I'm probably one of these people. I have mixed feelings about family. I've never had mixed feelings about dogs. Dogs should live a lot longer. They're around just long enough to become our best friends and then they're gone.

I'm glad Dash is still around. When he gets me up several time during the night like he did last night, I think he's going to outlive me. Dot and Dash both seem to be the Energizer Bunnies of their breed. Dash has had so many close calls and he's still waiting at the back door for his walk every morning. He's amazing. Sure, he gets tired easily, seems confused, doesn't have much of an appetite, and stumbles a lot, but so do I. Dash is definitely following in Dot's footsteps. These two have been an inspiration. I'll often look at Dash at night and think "If this little guy can overcome his problems, the least I could do is overcome mine. Without dogs, I probably never would have learned to live in the moment.

The model trains are continuing to sell. On the first of every month I get a report and four or five more pieces are gone. It could take years to sell the collection at this rate, but one by one each model is finding a new home. These models seemed so special when I got them years ago and now the proceeds are just being used to pay utility bills. I guess this makes sense. It would be really silly to sell one collection and just use the money to start collecting something else.

Today was uneventful. I bought fresh fruit at the grocery store, filled the car with gas, mowed the lawn in the back yard, and cleaned up dog poop. Dash outdid himself last night, but at least the mess was outside.

Can you believe it's September already? Dash took his heartworm pill this morning. I'm going to be optimistic and get him another six month supply. Dash is full of surprises. He may still be with us this time next year. I can tell the days are already starting to get shorter. I'm not looking forward to Winter, but I'm definitely looking forward to Fall.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3172

I actually did go to a new restaurant this morning. Never been there before. This was a Mexican restaurant that catered to a Hispanic audience. All the menu items were listed in Spanish. Not a problem. Even a gringo like me knew what Huevos con Chorizo were. The food was pretty tasty but I'll probably go back to eating waffles next week. Like I've mentioned many times, I'm set in my ways.

I did so many chores today that it wasn't long before I started thinking it was Saturday again. I'm surprised at how easy it is to get the days confused now that Janet isn't working on a regular basis. It used to be that if the alarm went off at 5:30 AM, I knew it was a work day. If the alarm didn't go off and we slept in late, it was the weekend. I could always tell which day of the week it was by how many bananas were left in the fruit bowl. It's all different now. I'm going to have to become more aware of what's going on around me.

Mowing the grass was more of a chore than I'd thought it would be. I let the grass grow too high in the front yard and the mower wasn't really up to the job. I think I'm going to have to get a new 24 volt battery for the mower. By the time I finished mowing the small yard, the battery was dead. Too bad the battery wouldn't hold out for a few more months. I'd rather wait until next Spring to buy a new battery for the mower, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. The grass is going to continue to grow for quite a while. Batteries are such a nuisance. I like the idea of driving a Tesla, but I can't imagine depending on a car that ran on batteries. What could possibly go wrong?

I made the mistake of washing some of Dash's dog blankets with a batch of black t-shirts. Now I've got dog hair all over my clean clothes. I guess it doesn't matter. I always have dog hair on my dirty clothes. Why should the clean clothes be any different?

Dalmatians shed so much that you have to make an effort to control the dog hair. I vacuumed today and the entire Dyson canister was filled with dog hair. It's like this every week. Despite all the shedding, Dash always has a thick, healthy coat. It makes you wonder where all this hair actually comes from.

The friend who is selling my trains wants to lower the prices on some of the items. I told him that he's the expert and to price things accordingly. Even if I don't get what I initially expected from this collection, it's still a lot better than having a bunch of strangers fight over my stuff on a future edition of Storage Wars. I wish it was easier to unwind a lifetime of collecting. Everything will eventually find a good home with another collector, but it's going to take a while.

Dash used to walk well ahead of me on our walks. Now, I have to be right by his side so I can grab the handle on his Ruffwear harness and keep him from falling when he stumbles. Dash stumbles a lot these days, but it hasn't deterred him from walking. Our slow trips through the park are the favorite part of his day. I think one of the reasons he spends so much time smelling things is that his eyesight isn't good anymore. He is developing cataracts, but surgery is out of the question. Since Dash is no longer a candidate for anesthesia there are a lot of things we can't do anymore. I'd love to get his teeth cleaned again. Unfortunately the dental procedure requires anesthesia. Both of his vets say it is too risky.

I'm going to think it's Sunday tomorrow since I did a lot of my Saturday chores today. Oh, well. At least something got done. I'm not sure if I'm becoming forgetful or if time just doesn't matter anymore. It could be a little bit of both.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3171

I sent in my application to join the InSight team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the spacecraft's November landing on Mars. A little while later, I received a conformation from NASA thanking me for my interest while telling me that I was application number 61005. Wow. The last time I did this in 2014, there were only several hundred applicants. Now there appear to be over sixty thousand. Times have definitely changed. I probably don't have a chance in hell of being selected. Only 30 people will be given social media credentials.

Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. At least I made an effort to venture out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons beyond picking up dog poop. We'll see what happens. If Dash's condition remains stable, everything should be fine. I had to decline an invitation to view an Orbital ATK Cygnus launch at Kennedy Space Center when Dot became very sick, but I'm going to remain positive for the moment. What have I got to lose? It would be pretty cool if I made the final cut.

Dash got me up several times last night, but he ate well today and seems to be in good spirits. So far, there has been no pooping in the house. Lets hope this continues. I wish Dash had more energy, but he's actually doing amazingly well, considering the severity of his heart condition. I wish there was a cure for Dash's heart problems and vestibular disease. There isn't. We do the best we can managing the symptoms, but it is stressful knowing that your faithful companion could die at any time.

One day at a time has become my motto. When you take things one day at a time, long-term goals become irrelevant. There are just good days and bad days. Today was a reasonably good day. Dash didn't fall down. He didn't poop in the house. And he seemed happy.

Dash's mood must have been contageous, because I felt pretty good as well. I got off my butt and applied for the NASA media credentials. I even had an appetite and went out and got some delicious barbecued ribs for dinner. This was probably my first mistake of the day. Damn. I've already got heartburn. I wish I had the discipline to eat like Janet does. Her post-cancer diet is about as healthy as you can get. I don't do so well. My health regimen is basically occasionally eating her leftovers.

This month has flown by. I can't believe it is almost Labor Day. Pretty soon I'll have to start watching out for School Zones again. I don't drive much, but wherever I go, there always seem to be lots of schools. It really slows things down when you get stuck in one of those lines of people waiting to pick up their kids. Traffic in the city seems to double when school is in session.

I set the bar pretty low, but I think I was adventurous today. I wonder if I can be as adventurous tomorrow and try eating breakfast at a brand new restaurant. We'll see.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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