Day 3378

We got some severe weather last night. I'm usually well prepared for bad weather, but this storm caught me by surprise. I knew there was severe weather north of us because I kept seeing pictures of hail damage on Facebook. It looked like we were in the clear on the weather radar, so I went to sleep without taking the usual precautions. Some time after midnight I woke up to the smell of poop and started hearing thunder as I was replacing Dash's puppy pad. When I went outside to clean the harness that I had forgotten to take off before I went to bed, I noticed the wind was picking up. I checked the radar on my phone and we were directly in the patch of a swiftly moving storm front.

Where did this come from? I quickly moved some furniture, put buckets in strategic locations and started the pumps on the roof. The storm didn't last long, but it dumped a tremendous amount of water. Dash never even woke up. I went back to bed, thinking that the next time Dash pooped in the bed, I would go turn the pumps off again. That's exactly how it worked out. There were no water leaks in the morning, so maybe my diligence paid off. I wish I could turn the pumps on and off from inside the house, but the circuit breaker that controls the outlet the pumps are attached to is on the same zone as the furnace. You really don't want to disconnect the furnace just to avoid going outside in the rain.

Dash seemed to have more energy today. We took a surprisingly long walk this morning. We moved very slowly, but I could tell he wanted to keep going. Since the weather was cool and clear and we were in no hurry, Dash didn't overexert himself. He even ate his breakfast when we got home. My own breakfast was pretty late today but I'm getting used to these weird schedules. It really doesn't matter when I eat anymore. It's not like I've got anywhere I need to go.

I still turn on the computer right after breakfast like I've done for decades. There are no appointments  on my calendar though. There are no deadlines to meet. I've even forgotten the passwords to most of the websites I used to manage. I wonder why the computer even matters anymore. I seldom need it. The only thing I did today was defragment a hard drive.

Dash got another bath this afternoon because I didn't do a great job of cleaning him up last night. Sometimes we get lucky and the poop never touches anything but the puppy pad. Things can get messy though if Dash has a dog dream and starts moving his tail around before I wake up and can remove the mess. There are so many variables involved in these night poops that I'm surprised we do as well as we do. When I attempt to remove the mess without it touching anything I sometimes think that this would be good training for being on the bomb squad. If you do everything right, you can be back in bed in three minutes. If you slip, you have to change all the bedding.

I probably need to go up on the roof and remove the remaining water tomorrow. I forgot to pick up some prescriptions at the pharmacy as well. Since my morning routine with Dash seems to last until noon, that's probably enough for one day

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3377

I've never seen someone go from hero to goat so quickly. Just a few days ago Robert Mueller was the knight in shining armor who was going to deliver Trump's head on a platter. Today, he did the unthinkable to some on the left: he didn't follow their game plan. Why were these guys so convinced that Mueller was going to bring the president down? If this was the honest investigation that they claimed they wanted, the outcome was never predetermined. Hey, it's time to move on guys. It didn't turn out the way you wanted. If you want to win the next election you need to start telling people what you like. We already know what you hate.

I find politics humorous and sad. It seldom works when people allow it to become their religion. The Democrats could probably win in 2020 with a ticket of Biden and Beto. People like these guys. The progressives will never nominate an old white guy though. How could they? They've boxed themselves into a corner on that one. I predict that they'll pick someone ideologically pure, culturally diverse, and too weird for the country. They'll end up losing again. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I don't think about politics at the gym. I wonder about the other people on the floor. Everybody at my gym is pretty old, but some are amazingly fit. I'm impressed at what they are able to do. I like to think that these people have more discipline than the others. They were probably the ones who always came to work early and left late. The fat people on the floor are probably nicer human beings, but I'm still impressed by the folks with the most determination.

Dash is certainly determined. Even though he has taken a turn for the worse, he still wants his daily walks. I've tried to cut the distance we walk in half to prevent him from becoming too exhausted. So far, this seems to be working. It takes forever to go even a short distance these days, but that's OK. I certainly don't have anything better to do. I'm a little worried that if something happened while we were out in the park, I wouldn't be able to get him to a vet in time. A walk is a simple thing, but occasionally I feel like I'm balancing on a tightrope without a safety net.

Now that Dash is sleeping more, his schedules have changed. We were worried for a while that he was losing interest in eating again, and then we realized that he wanted to eat his dinner at midnight. Often we have to get out of bed to feed him. It works though. Once he's had his midnight snack, he sleeps like a baby. We've gone several days without Dash pooping in the bed. He's been waking up and going outside. This is probably just a happy accident, but it is appreciated. I have no idea what will happen tonight. Life has become very unpredictable.

Spring has definitely arrived because the insects are back. I see long lines of small sweet ants climbing up the exterior bricks, looking for a way inside. They always find a way inside. Next month I'll see them in the bathroom. The Crane Flies are the worst. They congregate by the back door at night and every time I let Dash out, a dozen of them get in the house. Crane Flies are slow and easy to catch, but they are still irritating. I see one flying around the office now.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3376

It has become so obvious Dash is old and tired that people are stopping me on our walks to tell me stories about their old dogs. Every week I hear about dogs that have recently passed away or are having difficulty walking. Despite all the stories, we see very few other older dogs on our walks. When the weather is bad, Dash is often the only dog walking at all. I feel sorry for the old dogs who just get a towel under their belly occasionally to help them go out in the yard and pee. With a little help, a lot of these dogs could still lead a relatively normal life.

I don't think Dash even realizes that I am helping him walk. He can still move his legs. He just isn't strong enough to fully support his own weight. I can feel his legs moving through the leash. I provide just enough support to keep him from sinking, while letting his legs move naturally. It took three dogs to perfect the technique, but I think I've gotten pretty good at walking disabled dogs.

One thing I can't do is give Dash more energy or help him think clearly. He's starting to become senile and sometimes appears lost or confused on our walks. You wonder when senility becomes dementia and if dementia can turn into Alzheimer's? When Dash's mind goes blank, you've just got to be patient. Eventually he clicks into gear again and off we go. I think being outside helps. Dogs have such an amazing sense of smell that the abundant smells in the park reconnect him to the world. I think he could take his walks blindfolded because he's really just moving from one smell to the next. The smells are a trail of breadcrumbs that take him away and then bring him back home.

My accountant called today to let me know that he had some preliminary results on my taxes. I was really disappointed to learn that despite my paltry earnings this year, I still owed money to the IRS. I think old people get screwed. Your social security gets taxed as income. Required distributions from your IRA account are taxed as income. If you planned ahead and managed to save something, your dividends and interest are taxed as well. It's ironic that when my business was booming I paid less in taxes than I do now. When you have lots of clients, there are lots of business expenses you can deduct. It goes without saying that without clients or business activity, there are very few expenses  either.

It rained again today. I'm glad that Dash still got to take his walks. I'm not so glad about going up on the roof again. I'll wait until the forecast clears, but the key to keeping the leaks at bay is getting the standing water removed as soon as possible. The pumps help, but I've always got to go up on the roof and finish the job. I'm surprised that I still haven't gotten any bids to replace the roof.  Apparently I'm not a priority. The same thing happened the first time I put a new roof on the house. Since the house is small, roofers are always more interested in larger and more lucrative projects.

I should go to the gym tomorrow since I missed my workout last week. I'm not getting much exercise walking Dash. I guess my arms are getting stronger but the walks certainly don't provide much of a cardio workout. We move at a snail's pace these days. I doubt that my heart rate changes at all.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3375

I dread Dash's periodic bouts with diarrhea. They don't happen often, but when they do, it makes a horrible mess. We'll probably never know why he had diarrhea last night. We had to change what he was eating this week because he has lost interest in the chicken and rice stew Janet has been making for him. Maybe the new food upset his stomach. Maybe he's under more stress since he's having difficulty standing. Maybe he ate something bad in the yard or got a stomach virus. We'll probably never know. We certainly never found out what caused the diarrhea in the past.

Needless to say, there was quite a mess to clean up. I've been doing laundry most of the day. We had to give Dash a bath as well. A wet rag simply didn't remove the stains. Giving Dash a bath is problematic since he can't stand up without assistance. He can't have his harness on either. One of us has to support him so he won't fall while the other one does the cleaning. Everybody gets wet. Dash is clean now. All the bed linen is clean. The smell is finally gone. It's been a long day though and everybody is tired.

I went back to the hotel for breakfast because it is quiet and peaceful. I wasn't even that hungry, but it was nice to take a break from the cleaning brigade. Janet stayed home to watch Dash while I was away and then I stayed home for the rest of the day. The diarrhea seems to be over, but Dash still seems weaker than usual.

I didn't think that Dash would want a walk this evening, but I thought we'd give it a try when he headed for the back gate at the appointed time. We probably should have stayed home. Dash seemed confused and would stop for long periods of time and just stare off into space. I tried to get him to turn around and go home, but he kept moving forward. He is very stubborn. Dash would walk for about twenty yards and then stop for a while. Then he would walk for another twenty yards. I thought I'd have to call Janet to come pick us up in the car for a while, but eventually we made it home.

I was disappointed to see the stock market drop over 450 points today. It was the worst day since January. Things have been going well lately and I always hate to see a big sell off. If you weren't watching the business channels, you would nave never noticed the steep decline. Everyone else was talking about the Mueller Report. Of course nobody actually knows what is in the report yet, but people are already second guessing the results. A lot of folks seem really disappointed that Trump wasn't immediately indicted as a Russian spy. I'll be glad when we move on to other things. I wonder how bad the floods really are in Nebraska. I wonder if the 737 is actually a safe plane. Hey, I flew in one last week. I wonder if Britain will stay in the European Union after all. I wonder about a lot of things, but I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the Russia Probe.

I hope that Dash feels better tomorrow. He had us worried today. I think we all need a good night's sleep. Dash already seems a little perkier than he did this morning. I don't think I've been perky all day.

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3374

My goal is to accomplish at least one thing every day. It doesn't really matter what that thing is as long as it doesn't involve cleaning up dog poop. Today I defrosted the little refrigerator. I bought the little refrigerator when we were having problems with the big refrigerator. It was only meant to be temporary. Somehow, it has always remained full even though the big refrigerator was repaired months ago. I think these little refrigerators are meant for dorm rooms or vacation cabins. Very few of them have an automatic defrost cycle. You have to defrost them manually. At any rate, I should have put defrosting this thing on my to-do list several months ago. There was a massive amount of ice inside. I'm surprised the refrigerator still worked.

Mindless little tasks like this eat up my entire day. Sometimes I think it would be easier to just live in a hotel. You could eat in the hotel restaurant and the maid would clean up your room every day. The refrigerator is good to go for another several months, but of course the dog poop problem remains. I forgot to put a puppy pad under Dash while he was taking a nap on the bed this morning and he pooped while he was trying to get up. I had to clean Dash, clean his harness, and clean the blankets he soiled. We have a spare Help 'Em Up Harness for occasions like these. We have lots of spare dog blankets too. I never realized that a washing machine with a super hot sanitize setting would be so useful. I use this setting almost every day.

I wasted a lot of time last night trying to share yesterday's blog post to Facebook. Usually Facebook includes a preview picture with the link, but the preview picture refused to load. You know how I am about consistency. I wanted the link to look exactly like all the other links. It wasn't going to happen. The preview function was broken. I tried to approximate the look of the link manually, but it didn't look the same. Why did this even bother me? Probably for the same reason that the demise of Google+ bothers me. Writing the blog has become a part of my daily routine and I hate surprises. I missed Perry Mason last night because I kept trying to change the way I was sharing the link. Nothing worked. I should have known that it is futile to try to outwit Facebook.

I'm having trouble figuring out why Dash appears weaker too. He's still eating well. There have been no vestibular incidents in a long time. There are no obvious injuries. His last medical exam was actually very encouraging. Dash should be getting stronger, but he's not. That's the sad thing about aging. It's a one way street.

This week went quickly. Nothing really happened, but I was always busy. It takes so long to get small things done these days that I wonder how I used to get big things done. Where did I ever find the time to create ad campaigns, write lengthy annual reports, and design complex websites? These days making the bed can be a challenge.

I'm looking forward to going out for breakfast tomorrow morning. It's not that I'm all that hungry. I just need to get out of the house for a while.

Big Boy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3373 - Vernal Equinox

I'm always happy to see the first day of Spring. There may be a few more cold days ahead of us, but Winter is essentially over. If it weren't for the inevitable seasonal allergies, this would be the nicest time of the year. There is supposed to be Super Moon tonight which apparently makes the equinox special. I looked outside and the moon looks the same to me. When something is ten percent larger than usual, I don't think I can perceive the difference. If the moon was 50% bigger, I'd probably notice. As it is, it's just a bright full moon.

Dash wouldn't take his pills again this morning. Some of the pills aren't critical, but the phenobarbital is. We just don't want to risk another seizure. I was hoping I could get Dash to take his meds as soon as we returned from our morning walk, but he was too tired and immediately went to sleep. He wasn't interested in anything until he woke up again a few hours later. I guess all is well that ends well, but life would be easier if we could keep Dash on a regular schedule.

I spent most of the day trying to catch up on sleep. Dash got me up way too often last night. He made it outside each time and there was no mess to clean up, but once again life would be easier if Dash would just pee and poop before he went to bed at night. He used to do this every single evening, but those days are gone. I was glad there was no mess in the bed last night, but a little more sleep would be nice.

There were more bills to pay today. March turned out to be an expensive month. My web hosting plan auto-renewed for another three years, my doctor's concierge medicine retainer was due, and there were airfare and travel expenses from my recent trip to Houston. I think we're done for March though. I won't have to pay for those Sequential Circuits synthesizers until April or May.

Tomorrow, I need to figure out how to get Janet's iTunes account to show up on the flat screen TV. She rented some movies I'd like to watch, but I don't want to watch them on her iPad. I've added her account to the TV before, but I ended up erasing my own account in the process. I'm sure that Apple has a way to share multiple accounts on the same TV, but they could make the process of switching from one to another a little easier. Oh, well. I don't have much else to do tomorrow. Little things like this count as a challenge these days.

I wish that Dash would regain his strength. He still seems weaker and more lethargic than he did last month. His decline has been so slow that it's easy to convince myself that nothing has changed. There are still good days and bad days but at the end of the day we're definitely headed downhill. I don't think there's anything I can do to stop the process.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3372

I finished getting my tax files organized today and took them over to my accountant. For the past several years this has been a somewhat depressing experience. I've known the accountant for decades. We are about the same age. His business is still very successful and mine is practically nonexistent. It's embarrassing to show him how little money I've made. The accountant just laughs and says that old accountants are in more demand than old creative people. While this is probably true, it is not reassuring.

There's a shoe store I like near the accountant's office. I usually stop and buy a pair of shoes after I finish my meeting. I didn't stop today. After moving my storage warehouse last November, it finally dawned on me that I don't need anything. Pick almost any category and I have enough. I certainly have enough shoes. Buying things was like comfort food for me for a long. long time. Not anymore. When I look around the office, I just see lots of obsolete stuff I no longer need.

My waist and shoe size haven't changed, so I'll eventually wear all the clothes. I might be out of fashion, but who cares. When you dress like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, fashion is irrelevant. T-shirts, jeans, and comfortable shoes are timeless.

Cleaning up Dash's poop at night usually goes like clockwork, but last night something went wrong. I always slide out the soiled puppy pad, roll it up and seal it in a plastic bag. I was unfolding a fresh puppy pad to slide under Dash's butt when he decided to poop again. No protection always equals a big mess. We had to wake Dash up, get him of the bed without stepping in the mess, and then replace the soiled blankets. By the time I re-made the bed, took the blankets outside to clean with a hose, and then placed them in the washing machine on the sanitize cycle, I was wide awake.

I hate reading articles about how sleep deprivation can take years off your life. There's not much I can do about the situation right now. I think parents with small children go through something similar, but most of them are quite a bit younger than me. At any rate, if you're changing diapers or trying to get your kid back to sleep in the middle of the night, I can relate.

All this week Dash has seemed exhausted after his walks. We walk really slowly, but he doesn't have as much energy anymore. I've tried to get him to take shorter walks, but Dash is very stubborn. I can't get him to turn around. It is only after we return home that he realizes that we went too far. Hopefully, the long naps Dash takes during the day are beneficial. I'd hate to have to discontinue the walks. They're one of the few things he still looks forward to.

Now that my taxes are out of the way, there are a tons of things around the house than need my attention. My toilet repair didn't work very good.  I'll have to repeat the process. There's a new pothole in the driveway that I need to fill with river rocks. The little refrigerator needs to be defrosted as well. The little refrigerator was only meant to be temporary, but like most things around here, it has become permanent.

Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight. It's all up to Dash at this point.

Pringles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3371

I hate it when I fail to notice that there are no more refills available on a prescription. You call in the refill and the pharmacist tells you that you'll need to get your doctor to renew the prescription. You call the doctor and he's always out of the office or busy with something else. Little things like these can eat up your entire day. I eventually got Dash's Plavix prescription renewed before he took his last pill, but I really need to remember to look at these pill bottles more carefully.

I finally got around to getting my faulty power supply fixed today. I'm methodical to a fault, so I keep doing the same things over and over again. The last time I needed to get these batteries replaced, they cost $60. That was two years ago. Today the same batteries cost $100. It's irritating how the price of ordinary things keeps going up and up. Sure, big screen TV's are cheaper than they used to be, but most things aren't. It would cost quite a bit more to replace my car with the same model I'm currently driving. Airfares are higher. Movies cost more. It would even cost more to replace my Apple Watch and Apple isn't known for raising prices.

Dash was super slow today. I couldn't tell whether he was having trouble walking, or if he just wanted to spend extra time smelling things. This should have been a good day for him, since the weather was perfect. Eventually we made it home this morning and then Dash was equally slow eating his breakfast. Every time I started my own breakfast, Dash would come out to his bowl and just stare at it. I finally realized that he wanted me to hand feed him. After Dash finished eating and pooping on the floor, he took a nap. I felt like taking a nap too, but I had my own breakfast to finish.

I spent a few hours this afternoon getting my taxes organized. I think I found everything my accountant needs, but I'll take another look tomorrow. Why do old people even need to pay taxes? You should be exempt after you reach the age of 70, just like you are exempt from jury duty. I still don't think it's fair that I'm forced to take a distribution from my IRA account now. I'd just as soon leave the money untouched until I really need it. These distributions are classified as ordinary income too. That sucks.

With any luck I can finish my tax preparation tomorrow and get that chore out of the way. Then I'll turn my attention to more important matters, like buying more rocks for the potholes in the driveway. I'm glad I never called the plumber to come out and search for a sewer leak. The puddle in the back yard has dried up. I'll probably never know what caused the puddle. Who knows. I might have just left a hose on for a week.

After seeing Apollo 11, I've discovered that there were other documentaries about the Apollo program. I started watching one called For All Mankind that was made in 1989 using some of the same NASA footage. Again, the things that really caught my attention were the details. The astronauts shaved in space using a Gillette razor and shaving cream. They brought bread with them and made sandwiches. They took a Sony walkman along for the ride with cassettes of their favorite music. Did I forget this stuff, or was I never even aware of it?

I forget a lot these days. Hopefully I won't forget to finish my taxes. I need to remember not to let my prescription expire either. Dash is resting with Janet now. I hope he gets a good night's sleep so he has lots of energy tomorrow for his walks. This nice weather won't last forever. We need to make the most of it.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3370

I'm glad I saw Apollo 11. The film got mixed reviews, but I think that anyone who is old enough to remember the event will agree with me. This wasn't just a movie, it was a time machine. The 65mm footage of the launch itself was spectacular, but what struck me the most were all the little details that brought the sixties back to life. Everybody smoked back then. It was amazing to see how many of the engineers and technicians at mission control were smoking cigarettes and pipes. Each of the flight controllers had a black rotary dial land line phone next to their console. Reporters were calling in their stories using pay phones. Some were typing on small portable manual typewriters. The men had crew cuts and a surprising number of women had beehive hairdos. This is exactly the way it was. It's funny how modern I thought the world was when I was in college. Back then I couldn't have imagined the world we live in today.

You can forget a lot in fifty years. As I was exiting the theater, a couple of older looking guys were commenting on the film. "How old were you when we went to the moon," one guy asked. "I was 8," his friend replied. "I was 6," the other guy said. Good grief. I must be really old. I was in college when the launch happened. The guys ahead of me at the theater looked old enough to be retired and I was at least ten years older than them. I not only remember Alan Shepard and John Glenn's first flights, I remember Ham the monkey. I was pretty young at the time, but I even remember Sputnik 1 in 1957.

When I went to the theater this afternoon I realized I was totally out of the loop. The guy at the ticket counter asked me to pick a seat on a touch screen. "I can't just go inside and sit where I want," I said. "No," said the attendant. "You have to pick a seat first." I guess even going to the movies is done on your phone now. You can get your ticket and pick a seat in advance. That explained why some of the best seats were already taken, even though the theater was almost empty when I went inside. I was so confused that I ended up sitting in the wrong row. "But it says Row G right on my ticket," I said to the guy next to me. "No, this is a G-Rated film," he explained to me. "Your seat is over there."

Later today, I watched another short film on my computer called Seattle is Dying. What a contrast. Apollo 11 was an incredibly optimistic story about one of the greatest achievements in human history.    Seattle is Dying is basically a cautionary tale about how civilization is literally crumbling under our feet. I guess that's the difference between 1969 and 2019. I used to live in Seattle. It was a great place in the early 70's. Seattle used to be called the Emerald City because it was so beautiful. The city now has one of the highest crime rates in the country. Drug abuse and homelessness are out of control. Parts of the city look like a third world country. Citizens don't feel safe anymore. You wonder how things deteriorated so quickly. It's sad. No wonder I would prefer to live in 1969.

It was nice to have a break from the usual Sunday chores today. I didn't really miss going to the gym. I'll catch up on chores tomorrow. The only useful thing I did today was make some temporary repairs to the balky French toilet. I've discovered that there's a weird little rubber piston in the flush mechanism that causes the toilet to run if it gets dirty. Periodically, I take the piston assembly apart and clean all the parts with alcohol. This usually fixes things for a few months.

Dash had a good day. He was still as slow as molasses, but he really enjoyed his outings in the park. The weather was beautiful and there were lots of things to smell. I wish I could do a better job of keeping him from stumbling. I do the best I can and we're still walking, so I guess that's all that counts. I evidently didn't do a great job of cleaning him up last night when he pooped either. He still had a brown tail when I woke up this morning.

I promised myself that I'll get started on my taxes tomorrow. I don't always keep my promises though.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3369

When I was walking Dash today, a couple stopped us and asked me if I knew the area. "Kind of," I said. We're lost, the guy said and we can't find our car. This seemed strange to me. There aren't very many parking lots in the park and they are all clearly defined. I asked the couple if there were any buildings they could describe near where they parked. They mentioned a few that I recognized. They were on the opposite side of the lake. "You guys are at least eight miles away from your car," I said. "It's over there," I told them, pointing at something near the horizon. The couple seemed discouraged. How could somebody walk so far without having any idea where they were going? I have a pretty good sense of direction, so getting lost this way seemed almost incomprehensible to me. I wished the couple luck and continued my very slow walk with Dash. It was questionable who was going to get home first.

The World War II bombers flew overhead again today. At one point a B-17 made a low pass right over our heads. It would be tempting to go see these planes again, but I'm sure they would look exactly the same as they did last year. Maybe I'll go and see Apollo 11 tomorrow instead. It's playing now at several theaters in Dallas. I've heard a lot about this new documentary. It was made using 177 reels of pristine and previously unseen wide screen 65 and 70 mm Panavision footage recently discovered at the National Archives. Who knew that NASA even made these films. There is nothing new about the story of Apollo 11. I think this is a movie you see primarily for the cinematography. I typically just download movies on iTunes and watch them on my computer. This is something that would definitely look better on the big screen.

Janet had an all-day Dalmatian Rescue event to attend, so I spent most of the day babysitting Dash. You just can't leave him alone for long periods of time anymore. Sometimes he can get up on his own, and other times he can't. If he panics and starts struggling to get up, he can hurt himself. Everything got done today, but sometimes it took a while. It took a handful of treats to just lure Dash to the park this morning. I could tell he wanted to walk, but he also wanted Janet to lead the way. Dash can be very stubborn at times.

I accomplished virtually nothing today. I was able to go out and get groceries after I was convinced that Dash was sleeping soundly. There wasn't much on my list today, so I was able to get back home fairly quickly. Dash was still asleep in exactly the same place when I returned. There were all sorts of things I should have done today but I just didn't feel like it. The house is relatively clean, most of the March bills are paid, and the roof is dry. I'm not quite ready to deal with my taxes yet.

I guess the big decision tomorrow is whether to go to the gym or the movies. It would take too much time to do both. I don't really have strong feelings about either alternative. We'll see how the day goes. Since I fell asleep for about thirty minutes while writing tonight's post, it might be a better idea to just take a long nap.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3368

Breakfast almost turned into lunch today. Dash stumbled a lot on his morning walk. He peed in the house twice. He wouldn't eat his breakfast. And then he kept trying to get on the bed as I was trying to leave. We can't leave Dash unattended on the bed anymore. He has trouble getting up on his own and there's a risk that he will fall off and hurt himself. It made Dash mad to go to his safe place. I knew he was tired, so I stayed with him until he calmed down and went to sleep. I don't blame Dash for being frustrated. I'm sure he just wants to be a young dog again. Don't we all.

Needless to say, I was a little late in getting started today. Why was the restaurant full at this time of day? I was amazed that so many people were eating breakfast at 11 AM. This was a work day too. I'm amazed at a lot these days. So much has changed in the world and most of the changes make no sense to me. I was curious why all these people were eating so late. They couldn't all have a sick dog at home. As usual, I was probably the only one out of sync. As I was leaving, I noticed that I was the only person in the entire place that was eating alone.

There were more bills to pay today. It seems like there were always bills to pay. I guess I could set up auto-pay so I wouldn't have to keep making constant trips to the post office but I'm afraid that I could easily lose track of things. When I'm paying bills manually, at least I'm aware when companies raise their prices and start charging me more. Everybody follows the same formula. They offer an attractive introductory rate to get your business and hope you forget that the offer is temporary. As soon as the introductory period runs out, rates jump dramatically.

Although it was cold this morning, the day turned out nicely. By the time we took our afternoon walk, the weather was beautiful. I'm starting to see early wildflowers, but it's hard to photograph them while I'm walking Dash. He stumbled even more on his afternoon walk than he did this morning. I did a good job of keeping him from falling, but it can be difficult walking a dog with two leashes. I feel like a puppeteer sometimes. There is a leash at the neck and another at his tail. I keep each leash taunt while still allowing Dash to walk as naturally as he can. When I feel him start to stumble, I pull up on the appropriate leash to keep him upright. The special Help 'Em Up Harness make this all possible. Walking is a team effort now, but it's worth it. If you have a dog with mobility problems, it makes a huge difference if you can find a way to let them move around normally.

Google+ is going away very soon. I get daily messages urging me to back up my data before everything disappears. I wonder why I still post every day if everything is going away. It's kind of sad. Google+ was the only social network I actually liked. I never really understood Twitter. Hashtags and 140 character messages were never my cup of tea. My Facebook timeline is mostly just a bunch of dog pictures. There's nothing wrong with dog pictures, but I actually learned lots of new stuff reading Google+ in the early days. All I'm learning now is that Google is terrible at keeping promises.

One of my back up UPS boxes has a bad battery again. This is an older Uninterrupted Power Supply and I think I've already replaced the batteries before. I'll drop it off at the repair shop tomorrow when I go grocery shopping. I feel sorry for people who have bought an electric car. They haven't owned these cars long enough to realize how evil batteries can be. They always go bad and usually at the worst possible time. I think I'd much rather replace a fuel pump or a head gasket than to replace all the batteries in a Tesla. I really wish everything just worked perfectly forever, but that's not going to happen.

Carmine is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3367

I got a call saying that the Sequential Circuits synthesizers I am restoring are finished. I was kind of hoping that they wouldn't be done until this Summer. Jeez. What am I going to do with these things? I haven't even managed to sell my guitars yet. I certainly don't want to put the synthesizers back in the storage warehouse. That's how they became damaged in the first place. Everybody says these old analog electronic synthesizers are very collectible. We'll see. Having something that is 'collectible' is very subjective. First, you've got to find another collector. I guess I got spoiled by the auction houses. They made the whole process of unloading stuff easy. It would appear that art is still more desirable than model trains or old musical instruments.

I've been seeing old World War II bombers flying overhead while I've been walking Dash for the past several days. It's looks like the Wings of Freedom tour is back in town. It's doesn't seem like it's been a year since Janet and I took a tour of these planes the last time they came to Dallas. Time goes by so quickly. I remember that there was a B-17. a B-24, a B-25, and a P-51 Mustang on display that you could go aboard and even take a flight in if you wanted. The demonstration flights were pretty expensive, but it was fun to walk around inside these restored old bombers. I love old mechanical things. I was amazed by the Saturn V rocket in Houston. I was fascinated by the B-17 bomber. And I've always loved old steam trains. I guess I'm just an analog kind of guy. That's probably why I'm still fond of the Sequential Circuits synthesizers. There's something about the sound of a vintage analog synthesizer that current digital models just can't duplicate.

The weather was beautiful today. I've certainly been enjoying seeing the sun again, but I think Dash is enjoying things even more than I am. He's been really eager to walk lately. Today he didn't even need Janet to guide him down to the park. He was ready to go on his own. He was no stronger than he usually is, but he was definitely more enthusiastic. It's hard to keeping him from slipping and falling when he feels like this. He doesn't really realize his limitations until he's flat on the ground. We did OK today. There were no mishaps. I was even able to get his rubber boots and special socks on by myself. This is much harder than it might seem. I think my arthritis is getting worse.

I can't believe that it's the middle of March already. I haven't even started on my taxes yet. I do this every year. I keep procrastinating and then end up spending an entire weekend scrambling to meet the deadline. I never seem to have extra time anymore. The simple things consume my entire day. Today I made the bed, walked Dash twice, made my morning smoothie, wrote a letter to my sister, paid a few bills, and took the trash out to the curb. Sadly, these meager activities ate up the entire day.

I started going out for breakfast on Fridays to keep things from getting too monotonous. Now, these restaurant outings have become one more item on the to-do list. If I don't go out for breakfast, I feel like I'm becoming a slacker. I will admit that a continuous diet of smoothies does get old after a while. I'm thinking that Shrimp Grits would be a nice change of pace.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3366

Our power went out before dawn this morning. I knew a storm with straight line winds was headed our way, but I wasn't expecting a citywide power outage. I think over 100,000 customers were affected. Needless to say, it took a while to get the lights back on again. The Oncor outage reporting system was overwhelmed for a while. Initially, the system didn't even recognize me when I called in our location.  When Dash started pooping in the dark, I knew it was going to be a long day.

My initial worry was the heavy rain. With no electricity, the pumps weren't working. I knew that water would accumulate quickly on the roof, but there was very little I could do. I found a portable camping light, cleaned up Dash's poop, and convinced him to come back to bed for a while. There certainly wasn't much point to getting up early this morning. There wasn't going to be a morning walk.

I thought the high winds would blow the roof off the greenhouse again, but luckily it stayed in place. Power outages are not uncommon in our part of town. Sitting in the dark wondering if Dash is going to freak out and if my phone battery is going to die is a very familiar feeling. These outages make me realize how dependent we've become on electricity. You can't do much in our house without electricity.

Eventually the power returned and I began the time consuming process of resetting clocks and timers. The washer and dryer turn on automatically after a power outage. This shouldn't be happening, but it does. Everything has a clock in it these days. The land line phones, the WiFI thermostat,  the Keurig coffee maker, and the timers on the living room lights all need to be reset. The furnace wouldn't even work until I reset its internal calendar. It didn't know whether it was supposed to be on the day or nighttime settings. It's always a pain to get the WiFi network and U-Verse TV up and running again. The router for the network is supposed to reboot automatically after an outage, but it seldom does. If you turn things on and off again enough times, they usually start to work though. By the time Janet returned from the gym, I had everything working again.

The day turned out surprisingly nice despite its rocky beginnings. After the storm blew through and headed East, the skies cleared and by early afternoon the temperature was up to 75 degrees. Dash eventually got a nice walk. It was just a little late. I hope I got the water off the roof in time. That seems to be the key to preventing a leak. I turned the pumps on as soon as the power was restored and by the time I climbed up on the roof to finish the job, the water level was actually pretty low.

I was supposed to have a meeting with my financial adviser this afternoon but I didn't feel like driving to his office. We just talked on the phone instead. I'm glad I don't own any Boeing stock. Boeing is getting hammered because of worries about the 737. I flew home in a 737 on Monday and everything seemed fine. The company says pilots just aren't reading the instruction manual, but some pilots say otherwise. The problem is that modern planes are just a giant computer. You don't fly them manually anymore. It's usually not a problem if you need to reboot your computer at the office. If you need to reboot your plane's computer during takeoff, you've got a big problem. This is why I'm not very optimistic about self-driving cars. Can you imagine millions of cars with wonky computers on the road. It's not going to end well.

I seemed really busy today, but as usual I didn't get much accomplished. Dash got his walks and took all his meds. I fixed my morning smoothie, and all the electronic gizmos in the house are working again. As power outages go, this one wasn't too bad. I didn't need to go buy bags of ice to save the food in the refrigerator and I didn't have to call AT&T to come out and fix the U-Verse. The only challenge was cleaning up poop in the dark. Hopefully, tomorrow will go smoothly.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3365

I'm still thinking about yesterday. I sometimes confuse pictures with the real thing. Yesterday I was reminded that they are not the same. I've seen pictures and videos of the Saturn V rocket for most of my adult life. I wasn't prepared for the reality. This thing isn't just impressive, it is one of humanity's greatest achievements. The Saturn V has to be right up there with the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China. How did Wernher von Braun and his team ever get this complex beast to work? The Saturn V weighed 6.2 million pounds when it was fully fueled. It was taller than the Statue of Liberty. The rocket was conceived and developed in an era before digital electronics even existed. The entire thing was analog. When you look at the rocket up close, it is a gigantic steampunk dream. There are hundreds of miles of carefully color coded wires, all attached to something important. There is a plumber's nightmare of pipes surrounding the engines and fuel tanks. I've never seen anything so complex in my life.

The rocket was so heavy that the enormous first stage was only able to lift it about sixty miles. It took the other two stages to get a much lighter vehicle to the moon. It is a lasting tribute to the optimism of post World War II America that this impossible rocket ever flew. When you see the Apollo capsule attached at the very tip of this huge rocket, it looks so small that it almost appears to be an afterthought. I wonder if we could do something like this today? Probably not. When John Kennedy committed the nation to going to the moon, nothing was working. Rockets routinely exploded on the pad. The engineers never gave up though. They had an almost unlimited budget and kept experimenting until they finally got it right. Most importantly, the nation was with them. We still thought anything was possible in the early sixties.

There are still a few people who think anything is possible. One of those folks was NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock, who was our guide through the NASA space vehicle mock up facility. I was amazed that this guy was gracious enough to spend the afternoon with us. He has spent over 100 days in space, including a risky and dangerous spacewalk where he was able to repair a faulty solar array on the International Space Station. One of the younger people in our group asked Wheelock if there was anything he learned in school that prepared him for becoming an astronaut. It was clear that some of the younger people in our group wanted to become astronauts themselves. Everyone expected that Wheelock would mention something about advanced physics or engineering classes. Nope. He said he learned the most from his high school metal shop teacher. He learned how things go together and this knowledge helped him repair the space station. I was impressed by this. Nobody knows how things work anymore. We are a generation that has become addicted to our phones but nobody has a clue how to repair them or how they function. The original astronauts and the support teams that put them into orbit were all problem solvers. It's good to know that the current generation of space travelers still are.

I have always been fond of grandiose projects like the La Sagrada Familia, The Hoover Dam, The Manhattan Project, and the Apollo Program. This is humanity at it's best. We've never been very good at being kind to one another, but we're damn good engineers.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3364

Today was interesting. Actually it was pretty amazing. I got to sit inside an Orion capsule that will be taking four astronauts back to the moon. I got to drive a moon buggy simulator used to train a new generation of astronauts. I got to experience a very realistic virtual reality spacewalk around a space station that will someday orbit the moon. An active duty astronaut explained how a special low gravity simulator was being used to train people to walk and work on Mars. A NASA geologist showed us rocks that Neil Armstrong collected on the moon. This all happened at the Johnson Space Center in Houston where I and several other lucky people were the guests of NASA for the day.

I'm really glad I was able to accept the invitation to get a briefing on NASA's plans to return to the moon and beyond. It was weird to see the last remaining Saturn 5 at Rocket Park and realize that it's been fifty years since anyone was serious about returning to the moon. It looks like the day has finally arrived. I was amazed at how far the planning has come in recent years. The work going on at Johnson Space Center is very impressive

I haven't traveled in a while, so this seemed like a really long day. I got up early, flew to Houston, spent the day at the Johnson Space Center, and then returned to Dallas this evening. A lot has changed since my last travels. Everything is done using your phone now. I booked my flight on my phone. My boarding pass was displayed on my phone. There was even a coupon for a free drink on my phone.

No more waiting for taxis either. I found an Uber driver to take me to and from the space center using my phone. It was all easy and surprisingly affordable. Even tips were handled electronically using the phone. It's weird how quickly all this has changed. Probably the next time I take a trip, there will be self driving cars.

I was going to get something to eat at the airport, but I ran out of time. I didn't anticipate how much rush hour traffic and long lines can slow things down. I didn't miss my flights, but I came pretty close.   I should go without eating more often. It's probably the only way I'm ever going to lose weight.

Janet said that Dash did fine while I was away. I hope he was glad to see me again. It was good to get away for a little while, but I'm not all that eager to rejoin a world of traffic jams and long lines. It's easy to forget just how busy the world really is when you're not rushing to get your shoes back on before your plane boards after a lengthy TSA check at the airport. A world of slow walks with your dog in the park is much more relaxing. Tomorrow, it will be back to drinking fruit smoothies and cleaning up dog poop, but today was pretty special. Thanks for a great day NASA.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3363

I set up an Uber account today. I'll have to admit that there are a lot of things I like about this new form of travel. You don't pay with cash for starters. You also get an accurate estimate of what the charges will be before you even get in the car. If the price seems too high, you don't have to ask for the ride. I would imagine that all this would be welcome news to anyone who has spent a lot of time in cabs. I have lots of memories of riding in cabs in a strange city and watching the meter go higher and higher, not really knowing where my destination actually was. The Uber system removes some of this uncertainty. We'll have to see how well this works in real life. I've never used Uber before. I've never used Lyft either.

There's a reason I'm somewhat unfamiliar with ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft. I don't really go anywhere. I spend more time walking than driving these days. If Dash is feeling good and the weather is cooperating, we take two walks each day. Dash is very slow and likes to smell things, so these walks can take a while. For the past several days, Dash has been taking a longer route than usual. Sometimes he overdoes it, but usually longer walks are a good sign. We had a long walk this morning. Maybe that's why his outer boot tore. Without the outer rubber boot for protection, the middle layer sock got ripped as well. Luckily the inner fitted bandage was unharmed and there was no bleeding or damage to his paws. I hate when there's a problem with the boots when we're on the road. Boot or no boot, we've still got to get home. I may need to start carrying a spare pair of outer boots with me.

I've noticed that my gym is offering more classes this Spring. Janet loves classes. Maybe I should take a class as well. Perhaps a more structured setting would help me reach my goals. Oh, wait. I don't have any goals. I'm not even sure why I go to the gym. I think I started going because gym membership was a free perk with my supplemental health insurance. Eventually, I had to start paying for the membership myself, but by then it had become a habit. You need good habits to offset the bad habits. When I go to the gym on Sunday I don't feel so bad about having French Toast smothered in Maple Syrup on Friday.

I learned a few things about Uber this afternoon. Apparently it costs more to ride in a nice car. There is a sliding price scale, based on the type of car you order. Leather seats cost more. Another article said that drivers who live in their cars often sleep in the airport cue areas because it is safe and they will be first in line for early morning flights. The strange thing about this story is that there are apparently homeless Uber drivers who live in their cars. Doesn't this job pay enough to rent an apartment? I thought this was supposed to be a good way to make money. Maybe I was wrong.

I also learned that those power banks that people often use to recharge their phones and tablets are frequently banned on airplanes. So are loose lithium ion batteries. They say these things are fire hazards. I have a power bank. No wonder I got such a good deal at REI. The model I bought has been recalled for spontaneously catching on fire. In fairness, I have a newer serial number than the faulty product mentioned in the article, but it is the same brand. I guess I'd better not try to take this thing on a plane.

They say we're going to get a lot of rain this week. When will this end? I have no idea where the leak in the sewer line is now because the entire yard is wet and muddy. I have no idea when the roof is going to start leaking again either. I'm trying to control the standing water, but it's an uphill battle. I could care less about Daylight Savings Time. What I'm looking for is some dry time.

Ely is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3362

We had a little bit of everything today. There was a light rain when I woke up. About twenty minutes later a line of thunderstorms blew through. There was even some dime sized hail for a while. The severe weather disappeared as quickly as it arrived. By the time we finished breakfast there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The temperature warmed up quickly and it wasn't long before I needed to turn the air conditioner on. I think the high temperature today was almost 80 degrees. This was Texas weather at its finest.

After the storms moved to the East, I thought Dash would enjoy a walk. I was surprised at how tired he seemed. He slept well and seemed in good spirits this morning but he was very slow and stumbled more than usual while we were walking. The same thing happened this evening. Maybe we should have skipped the walks today. It's hard to tell with Dash. One minute he seems fine and a few minutes later he seems exhausted.

It only rained for forty five minutes, but that was enough to fill the roof with water again. I ran the pumps for a few hours and then went up on the roof later in the day to sweep the remaining water away. Removing the standing water quickly seems to be the key to keeping the leak from returning. I'm already seeing a few new tears in the elastomer material. I have a feeling that it's just about hopeless to keep this roof watertight for very long. Two roofing companies are currently working up bids to replace the roof. I'll probably get one more bid before I make a decision. However this ends, I don't think it will be a pleasant experience.

I used the self checkout when I was getting groceries this morning. I had some fresh fruit in a bag with no bar code. When I weighed the fruit at checkout, I thought I'd have to type in some kind of a code number. Nope. The scanner automatically recognized the fruit correctly even though there was no packaging or bar codes. How did it do that? Automation is really getting sophisticated. I wonder if anyone will have a job fifty years from now.

Since it was such a nice day, I washed the car this afternoon. This was probably a futile gesture since it is supposed to rain again on Monday. Removing the water from the roof was probably a futile gesture as well. So far, the one chore that has paid off was giving Dash a bath. After several walks and countless trips outside to pee, he still smells clean.

Maybe I'll start working on my taxes tomorrow. I should have had everything ready for the accountant by now. The more unpleasant the task, the longer I tend to put it off. Amazingly, everything still gets done. It may not get done on time or even done properly, but I'm no slacker. I've already got a long to-do list for tomorrow that probably won't get done either.

Val is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day