Day 1245

I'm not usually blown away by YouTube videos, but when I saw a weightless Chris Hadfield singing his own adaptation of David Bowie's classic Space Oddity directly from the International Space Station, it brought tears to my eyes. I've always been a big fan of David Bowie. I've been interested in space travel since I was a child. And I continue to think that Chris Hadfield has done more to interest a new generation about the importance of traveling beyond the confines of our blue planet than any astronaut since Neil Armstrong. The guy can sing too. The video was astounding. No special effects. He really was weightless and that really was the earth spinning majestically through the circular window over his head. Cudos to Hadfield's Canadian friends Emm Gryner and Joe Corcoran who did a fabulous job of building a beautiful full arrangement around the space station commander's vocals from space. I think this song should win some sort of special Grammy award for its sheer audaciousness alone.

My day, in stark contrast to this inspiring video, was pretty down-to-earth. I got up early, but it was still 10 AM before I finished walking the dogs and making myself a big bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit. Things take a bit longer since I'm fixing the dogs their breakfast, giving them their daily meds, and washing and slicing the fruit for the day. Janet usually does these things before she leaves for work and I need to remember to thank her for taking care of these morning necessities as soon as she gets home.

A friend from the ad agency days called this morning while I was washing dishes. We used to spend our time talking about bold and audacious dreams and schemes. Now we mostly talk about our doctors and the mechanics of staying alive. My friend had a heart attack recently and you guys already know about my dodgy liver. It's funny how your focus shifts a bit once your health starts to deteriorate and a significant number of your friends and peers have passed away. You instinctively start to notice the things your other friends have done wrong and resolve to avoid making the same mistakes yourself. It's kind of sad, but kind of inspiring too. The survival instinct is strong. My friend and I made plans to have lunch at a new gluten free restaurant later in the week. I'm sure our conversation will include a few choice words about doctors, but at least we aren't as pitiful as another friend and I who typically spend our time talking about how long we can strap on our Fender guitars before recurring hand and back pain forces us to quit.

I was going to award the contract for the new roof today, but I got behind on my writing work and ran out of time. There's always tomorrow. Or maybe the day after tomorrow. This roof is so old and leaky now that I don't think a few days one way or the other is going to make any difference at all.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day