Sunday, February 2, 2014

Day 1510 - Groundhog Day

Damn you Punxsutawney Phil. The last thing we need right now is six more weeks of Winter. It looks like that's what we're going to get though; starting with today. Luckily, we didn't get the freezing rain that was forecast. We did get a lot of very cold rain that was only a degree or two above freezing though. I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for Spring.

Bruno Mars was the best thing about the Superbowl. He brought more energy to his short halftime performance than Peyton Manning exhibited during the entire game. What happened Denver? This contest was billed as the league's best offense against the league's best defense. Unless I missed something, the Denver offense was nonexistent.

The commercials were terrible this year.  I always like the Budweiser commercials, but their dogs and horses formula is something they perfected long ago. The only commercial that showed any degree of originality was the somewhat self-depreciating Radio Shack spot. Going into a Radio Shack store really is like going back to the 80's. By humorously acknowledging that history has passed them by, maybe the company is creating an environment for change. Who knows. They probably don't know how to change though and will continue to fail in a spectacular way, just like J.C. Penny.

Change is difficult. I'd be the first to acknowledge that people and companies get set in their ways. Even the relatively minor changes I'm having to make as a result of my shoulder injury, are driving me crazy. I'm really having problems with hiring a dog walker. I'm usually the one ranting and railing about irresponsible dog walkers in the neighborhood, so it's hard for me to trust one of these people myself. I'm sure there are excellent dog walkers, but I've seen some of them do some really stupid things down in the park and was glad they weren't responsible for any of my dogs.

Maybe there's a solution though. A friend let me borrow a waist leash today. I gave the contraption a trial run this afternoon and it actually seems to work as promised. A sturdy dog leash is attached to a belt that goes around your waist, allowing you to walk even large dogs hands-free. I see joggers using these things occasionally, but I'd never used one myself. Surprisingly, the leash seemed to work. I'll have to walk the dogs separately, but I was able to give Dash a good, well controlled walk without using my hands.

Instead of our usual Superbowl burgers, Janet cooked braised porkchops in the slow cooker and served them on top of an arugula and pear salad. The combination was delicious and the porkchops were unbelievably tender. I love the slow cooker. I guess it all goes to prove that it doesn't matter if the weather is terrible and the Superbowl is a bust, as long as you end things with a great meal.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day
Watch of the Day