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Month: August 2016

The august days of dogs

tuckered

Tucker here spent National Dog Day at the vet. Tooth extraction. Better him than me.

We’ve had him a few months now. He’s been a good addition to the household, save for licking the carpet. He’s pretty overweight, and we have asked him to reduce intake and increase output a bit.

I may latch onto him-  he could prove to be a good a bellwether for my own aging process. Or at least a test balloon, to see if all this diet and exercise pencils out.

Coincidentally, August has been hot this year, and the stouter members of the household would rather hide inside. He deserves a day off much more than I do.

Eye corns

A callus will form on any part of the skin that’s exposed to friction over a period of time.  Looking through my old photos is perhaps my most abrasive exercise. It seems to have caused a phantom funnel-shaped ulceration that plumbs the depths of passivity. I like that I’m eventually isolated from the moods and decisions responsible for my photos, having buffed myself to a flat matte hindsight with a rottenstone slurry of time and avoidance. With the right squint it can pass for objectivity. But of course numbness doesn’t mean the source of irritation is gone. If I keep doing this I should find a way to check for signs of irritation so I can keep the damage to a minimum.

The callus on my writing finger is very sore today. I may have to sandpaper it down. It is getting too big.
The silly truth is that I can take almost any amount of work but I have little tolerance for confusion.
-John Steinbeck, Paris Review