Day 3580

I needed to install a copy of Microsoft Office on a different laptop today. Luckily, I still had the install disk. The last version of this software I bought was in 2011. The install went smoothly enough, but it took me forever to activate. The install wizard kept saying I wasn't connected to the Internet when I knew I was connected. I tried AT&T and T-Mobile but neither worked. Then I noticed a button that said activate by phone. I pressed the button and called the number expecting to be talking to a customer service representative. Nope. I was talking to a robot. I was asked to read a long list of numbers I saw on my screen. The robot couldn't understand my voice, so I had to enter the numbers using the keypad on my phone instead. This took a while. When I had completed this task, the robot voice read me a huge fifty digit number that I was supposed to type into a box on the install wizard. The voice read the numbers too fast and I couldn't keep up with it. I had to ask the robotic voice to repeat the number fifteen times before I finally had it typed it correctly. Eventually the software was officially authorized and it now works correctly. Why does Microsoft even care about ancient versions of Office? Unfortunately, I have to remember to never upgrade the system on this computer. Old versions of Microsoft Office are not compatible with Catalina.

When I was walking today, I noticed that the little circus has returned to the park. Almost one year ago to the day, this same little circus was underwater after an unusually heavy rainfall caused lake levels to rise near their tent. These guys must either be fools or incredibly optimistic. They were setting up their tent in exactly the same place where they got flooded out last year. Sure, it was a beautiful, clear day today, but if memory serves, it was a nice day when they were setting up last year as well. I guess they haven't learned that the weather can change quickly in Texas.

The weather was perfect today. Unfortunately, I still wasn't able to patch the roof. Most of the roof was dry, but the damaged areas were still damp. Water had seeped under the coating where the silicon had been damaged and it was still seeping back out again. I've been through this before. At least the roof isn't leaking. Last year when the little circus was underwater, I was having some serious roof leak problems as well.

Shooting baskets at the gym is humbling. You'd think that after all these years I would have perfected the process. Nope. Sometimes I can sink five or six free throws in a row, but all it takes is the slightest deviation and the ball won't go through the basket. I love consistency, but it is so elusive. I never get the same amount of sleep on successive nights. Some days I'm hungrier than others. For the most part I do the same things every day, but I always get different results.

I doubt if I'm going to get the roof patched tomorrow. It's supposed to start raining again in the  afternoon. I need at least 48 hours for the silicon to cure after the roof is completely dry. Lord knows when that is going to happen. We've entered the rainy season. I'm not making a lot of progress with the house, but at least we will see the Dalmatians again tomorrow. Visiting these dogs always brightens my day.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day