March 31

Here's a photo that sort of turns my stomach.

My poor puppy dog is diabetic, and I'm overcoming what to me is a perfectly rational case of needle phobia. That means that, twice a day, Pogo gets seven units of insulin at mealtimes. Boyfriend is awesome about giving the injections, but sometimes he's just not home when the injections are due, and it falls to me to give them.

Five months ago, I fainted when I saw a needle. Then Pogo started needing shots, and I had to work to overcome that perfectly rational reaction. Just trying to talk about it made me stammer. With time, patience, and necessity, I managed to reduce my reaction from fainting (not helpful) to throwing up, and then to nausea and only occasional lightheadedness.

That I can keep the presence of mind to actually take a photograph of myself handling a needle is nothing short of remarkable. I don't believe I'll ever really get used to giving shots, but I'm able to do it when I have to. And I'm pretty proud of that.

90/365 -

March 30

Driving in Boston is always an adventure, but it's even more so when there's inclement weather.

We got quite a bit of rain yesterday and today, which combined with the chill air to make it feel pretty cold. Of course, compared to January and snowfall, it was positively balmy in comparison. In heavy rains, Boston is subject to localized street flooding, which can take an already-crowded thoroughfare and reduce it to utter impassibility.

I take heart in the fact that it's not snowing, so I don't have to shovel anything, and the rains we've received are nothing compared to the floods and torrential rains seen in the midwest last week. Indeed, I've become savvy enough in my commute to take a different route to work when it's raining, just to avoid the perpetual puddle that always forms on the Jamaicaway near Brookline Avenue.

And luckily, the rain is moving out, so good news all around.

89/365 -

March 29

Now this is one pampered puppy dog.

That social life I almost have was in full swing tonight. Dale, a former resident where I work, good friend, and grande dame, invited Ennio and I over to her new apartment for a very intimate dinner party. Red -- the pooch in the picture -- is her apricot-colored miniature poodle, and he's quite the little guy.

Ennio arrived and took over the cooking, which was entertaining. The food was extraordinary, which is to be expected. Dale only likes the best and Ennio only cooks the best. I was kind of a slacker, since I didn't have to cook and didn't have to clean. I took responsibility for keeping Red amused, so of course I had the best experience of all.

88/365 -

March 28

The little black letters on this pitcher of apple margaritas says "DRINK RESPONSIBLY."

It was my friend Marion's birthday party today, so naturally, I brought a camera with me when invited to the party. And, I have to admit, it was pretty fun. Marion is a self-admitted geek, and the unusual combination of her friends from NaNoWriMo/Script Frenzy, the Aquarium (where she works with snakes), and her job as a waitress, meshed together pretty well. Belynda, Brandon, and I took devilish pleasure in warping some of their young minds, and even more pleasure in learning how warped the rest of them really were.

I even indulged in a couple of drinks myself. I'm sure the photos of me with the two prettiest ladies in the place sitting on my lap will make it to somebody's facebook page. Meanwhile, it was their keeping me out later than midnight that caused me to be late posting this POTD. But that's OK -- it was totally worth it.

87/365 -

March 27

I had a pretty good day today.

I woke up after a good night's sleep, and was able to accomplish some small stuff I needed to get out of the way before headed to work today. My commute in was unremarkable, and I actually was able to find a parking space on my first round of the block, which put me several minutes ahead of schedule. Oh, and continuing my unhealthy obsession with the weather, it was a gorgeous day outside, with temperatures in the upper 50s and mostly clear skies.

So, as I was walking, I happened to cast my eyes skyward to take in the beautiful day, when I spotted a tree that had began to bud -- more proof that the relentless winter has passed and even more pleasant weather is coming.

86/365 -

March 26

My work uniform is nice, as far as uniforms go. A charcoal-gray suit, white shirt, and royal blue silk necktie. Most everybody else I work with wears this uniform (some better than others). Of course, I like to fix things, to enhance them, to dress them up a bit. To that end, I've made some small additions to my work uniform, to personalize it and make it more my own.

The first thing I did was add a small lapel pin to my left lapel. It would go over the nametag if I had one (my last one is broken). I originally wore a small gold anchor, since I was once a Sailor, or a small Navy seal (this seal, not this one). The folks who've worked at my building for five years received a small sterling silver lapel pin back in October (the building in relief), which I've worn since then.

The pocket handkerchief, in the same color as the tie, was my next addition. I've been told countless times by countless tailors and suit salesmen that the handkerchief "completes" the look of a suit, and I finally bought into the concept, at least for the suit I wear to work five days a week. I have to admit that having the pocket handkerchief has really grown on me -- I wouldn't work without it anymore.

And the cufflinks. The shirts the company issued us were not very good, and I began wearing my own white shirts almost immediately. I added a new french-cuff shirt to the rotation when my friend Keith made me a custom set of cufflinks (see them here); the cufflinks shown with the jacket were a gift from my better half.

So while I still wear a company-issued uniform, with a few accessories, I've done my best to make it my own.

85/365

March 25

If you're wondering what a hemp-dyed crazy shirt is, you know what I was thinking when I received this special little gift.

My landlady went to visit her brother last weekend in San Francisco, and asked me to take care of her animals (Jasper the dog, Tico and Ulti the kitties, and assorted fish). This is a common request and one I'm glad to accept. She's very nice and usually brings back a small gift or souvenir -- this time, it was a hemp-dyed crazy shirt. (And yes, I'm "Uncle Upstairs" to her dog and cats; it's a long story.) I like this gift a lot; it's comfortable and just a little quirky, and the packaging was outstanding.

84/365 -

March 24

I like dogs. I'm very fortunate to work in a very dog-friendly workplace.

On the left, you see me (on a very good hair day) with my friend Jake the Golden Retriever. Jake would be perfectly content to come hang out with Ennio and me behind the desk, so once, as a lark, we put one of our neckties on him. He'd make a wonderful assistant concierge.

Upper right, I'm hanging out with Lola and Riley, two King Charles Spaniels. They're still puppies (about six months old) and can be rambunctious, but once you sit still a little while they turn into cuddle pups.

Bottom right is Brewster, a Boston Terrier. Brewster is a sweetheart who is very into his routines. In the mornings after his walk, he sits down by Helder the doorman, who's usually standing in front of the fire, and in the evenings he expects me to come out and sit down so he can claim his place in my lap. He's only two years old, but has the most pleasant personality you can imagine -- he's another real sweetheart.

83/365 -

March 23

You know it's windy when there are whitecaps on Jamaica Pond.

Spring is here officially, though you'd never know it by the temperatures. Today's forecast was for a high of 32 degrees, and fortunately, it did get a teensy bit warmer. The skies were beautifully clear, though, which made it a nice day to look at from inside a warm house. But the winds were blowing briskly, which only makes it feel colder -- although there is no snow in the forecast for the immediate future, which is always a good thing.

Meanwhile, between work duties, I've been investigating a short trip to Atlanta over the weekend. No final decision yet, but I may be getting on a plane soon. Should make for an interesting weekend Photo of the Day, at least. :-)

82/365 -

March 22

This was nearly the edit-in that wasn't.

I've been lazy about showing up on time at National Novel Editing Month events, since I'm not actively participating. I'm there more for moral support than any real editing purpose. Nonetheless, I'm usually there.

This afternoon, I was running a little late. Life interfered, and I took care of life first. While I was taking care of life, about 45 minutes after the edit-in was scheduled to begin, my phone rang. Anna was on the line, telling me to tell everyone that she was on the way. I chuckled at her naïve assumption that I was there, and we began making phone calls -- only to discover that nobody we knew was around.

Marion, meanwhile, was there, but wasn't sure there was an edit-in, since nobody else was at the restaurant. So she went to our other usual venue and discovered nobody there, either. Marion spent a considerable amount of time running to and fro, trying to find the edit-in. Finally, she thought to call me to find out what was going on.

I arrived at the event about a minute before it was scheduled to end, and thanks to Brandon's arrival two hours later, I was not the last person to arrive. Having friends like this is pretty darn cool. For once, I'm among people who are just as screwed up as I am.

81/365 -

March 21

Behold, 15 -- count 'em, 15 -- hardcover Star Trek novels.

On weekends, unless I have something pressing to do, I'm something of a layabout. I got up, did some laundry, and then ventured out for breakfast around 3 pm. On my way back from the KFC, I noticed that the Treasure Chest, the little junk store near my house, was open, so I stopped in.

That's where I came upon these Star Trek novels, hidden on a bookshelf behind a row of videotapes. At a dollar per book, I pounced on them. I love to read, and it's my dirty little secret that I actually enjoy reading crap on occasion. Nobody will mistake these for fine literature, but they'll make for an enjoyable afternoon or two.

80/365 -

March 20

Today is the first day of spring. And while I know and understand that spring comes every year, this year's winter makes me absurdly grateful for the arrival of the new season.

From my workplace, I have a good view to the west of the Christian Science Church complex, and occasionally the sun setting behind its iconic dome. I thought it would be nice to say goodbye to winter with a pretty sunset, even if the weather outside is a mite chilly. It's better than New York, where Spring arrived with snowfall. I think, were snow to fall today, I'd lose it (or the tiny amount of "it" that I've ever had).

79/365 -

March 19

One of the symptoms of Pogo's diabetes is occasional incontinence. Most of the time he's fine, but we've had to adjust his insulin dose again, with the result that he sometimes has accidents at night. It also bears mentioning that he sleeps in the bed with us.

I have to give Boyfriend credit for taking the situation with good grace and a sense of humor. As he put it the other day, with a resigned sigh, "I never thought I'd be so blasé about somebody peeing in my bed."

Neither Boyfriend nor I have the heart to banish him from the bed, since it's where he's slept since he came to live with us years ago. He wouldn't understand why he couldn't get on the bed, and it would feel like he was being punished. So instead, we're doing a lot of laundry. Since our dryer at home is broken, we've been making more than a few trips to the laundromat. That's where today's pic of our pretty green bedsheets in the dryer was taken.

It's tough watching Pogo grow old, but we do our best to keep him healthy and comfortable. We owe the little guy that much.

78/365 -

March 18

Anybody who has known me for more than a few minutes probably knows how much I enjoy drinking Dr Pepper. It's my little taste of the South, no matter where in the world I've wandered.

The company has released a new variation on Dr Pepper: Dr Pepper Cherry. This is apparently a follow-up to the ghastly Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper they released in 2004. I was of two minds about this new development -- should I just buy the regular flavor, or should I try it and see if it's any good? I opted to try it.

Surprisingly, it's not bad. I still prefer Dr Pepper to this new flavor, but I wouldn't turn down Dr Pepper Cherry if it were offered to me. And considering how many of these things I imbibe in a week, I think it's perfectly appropriate that it make my Photo of the Day for today.

77/365 -

March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Or, since I'm in Boston, I suppose I should say Happy Evacuation Day!

Normally I wear a pretty blue Addison on Madison silk necktie as part of my uniform. However ... (select below):

1. ... in honor of St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland, I decided to wear this pretty green necktie instead.
2. ... in honor of George Washington driving the British from Boston in the first major victory of the Revolutionary War, thus setting in motion the events that led to our independence from Great Britain, I decided to wear this pretty green necktie instead.

Whatever reason is given, it's a dandy excuse to wear a pretty new tie to work. :-)

76/365 -

March 16

There are a couple of things wrong with this sign.

Massachusetts law states that pedestrians have the right-of-way in an uncontrolled crosswalk. Still, they put up signs to remind drivers of this -- which is fine with me, by the way. While I drive to and from work, I do walk around in the city from time to time and appreciate everything that can be done to keep me from being run down in my perambulations. That having been said, somebody needs to proofread their signs before letting workers put them up.

Note that nowhere on this sign does it say what you're supposed to do when encountering somebody in the crosswalk. Common sense -- and looking around at signs that were done correctly -- tells you that you're supposed to stop, but common sense, as the old adage goes, is an uncommon thing.

Also, just what is a "pedestrain?" (That's a rhetorical question.)

Driving in Boston can be an adventure, as I commented here and here. An overtaxed road system is to blame for many mishaps, but having better signage around the city would make things a little easier.

75/365 -

March 15

With enough of these pictures, I might appear to have a social life.

I've been attending "edit-ins" for National Novel Editing Month -- my friend Anna is the Queen of Edmo. Marion, Belynda, and Brandon were there with us; Randy and Arika weren't able to make it because Arika hurt her foot. Still, we had a good time, even if there wasn't a lot of editing going on. There was enough laughter to make up for it.

I have to say, I'm quite pleased with this group pic. It came out pretty well for an informally-posed picture; I guess it pays to have attractive friends.

74/365 -

March 14

I don't know if it's art, but that's what I was aiming for when I created this piece I call "Guard Dog."

We live on the second floor of a two-family house, and in our entryway we have what I can only describe as the ugliest wallpaper ever. There's not a lot we can do about the wallpaper -- the space is awkwardly-shaped, so stripping the wallpaper and painting it is out of the question. It did, however, give me a large wall space to try this art experiment.

I took an old black-and-white photo of Pogo, my dog, and did some work on it. Each of the tiles you see is a plain piece of copier paper. I blew up the photo, ran it through a halftone filter, then divided the image up into separate images. These were printed on a laser printer, and I assembled them into one honkin' big piece of art (42.5 inches wide, 66 inches deep). It wasn't made specifically for the entryway, but it was the only swath of wall large enough to put it up.

It's pretty cool what you can do with copier paper, scotch tape, and a little imagination.

73/365 -

March 13

There was a lot going on today. So much so, it was nearly impossible to find one photograph to bring home what today was all about.

Today, Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, the folks who brought you the "God Hates Fags" website, sent picketers to Massachusetts. They started off their day at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where a vigorous counterprotest took place. After working 16 hours on the overnight shift (getting off at 7 am this morning), I snagged an hour's sleep and Boyfriend drove me into Cambridge to attend (since I was decidedly too tired to drive). My friend Anna came with me. It was enlightening.

It's difficult to explain what the WBC people are about without it sounding like hyperbole. This is a case of truth being stranger than any fiction you could think up. Reverend Fred Phelps, the founder of the congregation, is vehemently anti-gay. His motto is "God hates fags," and he expands this to include "fag enablers," which encompasses almost everybody. WBC pickets schools with gay-straight alliances (like CRLS), gay bars and clubs, Pride celebrations, etc. They've expanded their behavior to activities like picketing military funerals, claiming that the government is full of fag enablers, and that soldier's deaths are God's wrath on the United States. Their website thanks God for the recent school shootings in Germany, the Alabama shooter, and their various "God hates ..." websites continue to multiply. These are just hateful people in the purest sense.

I was stunned when I arrived to see the steps of the school full of people ready to counter WBCs protest. There were so many people, and so much love and support. It filled my heart. Tears came to my eyes. Even Anna said it was touching. I'm proud that I was part of this group of 500-plus people who came together to show these hateful people what tolerance and love is.

Furthermore, I'm resolving not to use the word hate in normal conversation anymore. It is such a loaded and powerful word -- doubtless why this hateful group has latched onto it with such fervor -- that I don't feel comfortable using it anymore. That helped with my final decision to select the photo above to represent today. It put into words the way I feel, having attended this event.

Links:
Fox 25 news link to protest story
CRLS Senior's blog about the event
My flickr set from today

72/365 -

March 12

It's going to be a long day -- and night. My coworker Chris, who normally covers the overnight shift, is on vacation, and it fell on me to cover his overnight shift tonight. I arrived at work this afternoon at 3 pm and will leave tomorrow around 7:30 am.

On the plus side, working the double-shift overnight lends itself beautifully to this photo idea. Here's the building where I work, in daylight and darkness. I marked the space on the sidewalk where I placed my tripod legs, thus getting close to identical shots about five hours apart. Placing them side-by-side in Photoshop was simple enough, and while the match isn't perfect (it's very windy outside and hard to keep the camera steady on the tripod), it's close enough.

I'm interested in seeing my photo of the day for tomorrow; I've made plans, but if I'm too tired to stay awake and go into town it's going to be a crap shoot what I come up with.

71/365 -

March 11

One of my stated goals for this blog was to become more aware of my surroundings. An artist friend of mine is constantly asking me if I've seen particular places or photogenic sights (a particular tree in fall, for instance); I'm hoping that if I pay more attention, I'll be more attuned to these things.

I've known for a while that there's an American Legion post across the street from Forest Hills Station for a while now, but today, as I was stuck in traffic while city workers filled in potholes ahead of me, I happened to glance out my window and saw this flag, made from colored slats inserted in the fence facing Washington Street. And as I gazed at it, I realized I've been going by this spot for the past eight years or so without looking in that direction.

It's not a very impressive sight, but I'm glad that I've learned to pay a little more attention.

70/365 -

March 10

There's just something terrifically appealing about hot chocolate. Today, my doorman and I received Starbucks from one of our residents. Ennio got a chai, while I was given a hot chocolate with whipped cream. The whipped cream had melted into the hot chocolate, and the result was positively dreamy. Yum!

At the building where I work, there's a no-tipping policy in place. "It's all part of the service," is our mantra, and for the most part, it works. Many of the residents, since they're not allowed to give us tips, often bring us food and drink. When somebody gives you a tip for doing something, it can feel rather pro forma; when somebody feeds you, on the other hand, you feel appreciated. I like that.

69/365 -

March 09

I've managed to get a few steps along in the process of getting the new computer to a usable state. I've always thought myself a reasonably-intelligent computer user who could handle most situations, but setting up this computer has humbled me a bit. The endless loop caused by an incorrectly-installed Windows Update, where the computer wouldn't boot up without crashing, was loads of fun.

I run an older version of Adobe Creative Suite (CS2), which isn't specifically set up to work with Vista. Intellectually, I can understand that, but it's really frustrating when I have very expensive, perfectly good software that I can't completely install because it's not the newest version. I managed to get Photoshop working fairly well, but it's going to be an inconvenience not to be able to make PDF files of graphic design projects (since Adobe Acrobat 7 doesn't play well with Vista.

Microsoft Office, fortunately, is a good little doobie and works fine.

I've got a list of programs to download and install on the computer as I'm able. Meanwhile, it's running with a functional software firewall and antivirus, and I'm composing my first complete POTD entry with the new machine, so it's not going badly -- just slowly. Too damn slowly.

68/365 -

March 08

I've been suffering from computer problems over the past week. My laptop developed a bulge over the keyboard, and the cooling fan was running hotly and continuously. Then my display began acting up, making the computer unusable after it ran for a few minutes.

I'd been hoping to keep my old computer running until Windows 7 is released, but that hope went by the wayside. I had an older computer, but it's not very reliable either, and if I wanted to continue having daily access to a working computer, I had to replace it. And I hate spending money -- especially on a Windows Vista machine.

Nonetheless, I bought a replacement machine, one that should (hopefully) be a reliable machine until it's time for the next version of Windows to come out. Meanwhile, I'll be working over the next few days getting this new machine set up. That should make keeping up the Photo of the Day project pretty interesting.

67/365 -

March 07

Ever wonder what the inside of a Treasure Chest looks like?

There's a little junk store near my house called The Treasure Chest. It's a cluttered, crowded, claustrophobic mess inside, as you can see. The selection of items is eclectic -- it's the place to go for a fine earthenware elephant, a used dictaphone, heaters, suitcases, battered furniture ... if it's ever been bought or sold, it has probably passed through here.

I don't get to visit as often as I used to, but I stop by on occasional Saturdays when they're open. Rick, the owner, is a real character. He's the fellow who put aside the vintage Parker Duofold fountain pen for me last year. How he found a pen in the chaos of the store stymies me, but I'm glad he's on the lookout for things that interest me. It's been sort of a theme recently, but it rings true: It's good to have friends who look out for you.

66/365 -

March 06

There's something to be said for ending the day on a high note. I loathe the snow, so I find very little amusing about it. However, on my way to my car after getting off work last night (or, more correctly, early this morning), I saw this. Then I laughed, unlimbered my backpack, took out my camera, and took the picture.

This is the exit in front of the Colonnade Hotel from the E Line at Prudential. Somebody -- a prankster, or one of the many art students who roam the sidewalks at night -- had put a "carrots" sign, such as you might see in a freshly-tilled garden, in the snowbank. I've been studying the photo and can't really explain why I think it's funny. I just think it is.

I ended the day laughing at this wretched snow, which was a perfectly marvelous way to end a long day, and hopefully will be my bon voyage to the wretched stuff for the season.

65/365 -