Day 3667

Things are starting to come together. I heard from the observatory today and they told me that I'll be able to stay at the Astronomer's Lodge this Spring. This is pretty cool. A long list of well known astronomers have stayed here while they were using one of the big telescopes on Mount Locke. I'm relieved that I won't have to worry about renting an RV any longer. I also won't have to worry about food. Apparently, there is a cook on the mountain and two hot meals a day are included with my stay. It looks like I will be very busy as an on-site volunteer, but I'm really looking forward to this. It will definitely be something that few non-astronomers get to experience.

I still haven't heard whether I'll be attending the upcoming Solar Orbiter launch at Kennedy Space Center. SpaceFlight Magazine has told me that they'll verify my application to be a photographer for their publication. What remains to be seen is whether NASA will approve their request to cover the launch. It looks like getting a press pass is more complicated than I anticipated. There is still time for all this to be resolved, so there is no reason not to be optimistic. Even if a trip to Kennedy Space Center isn't in the cards, I've still got plenty on my plate with a trip to McDonald Observatory in the planning stages.

I had a meeting with my financial adviser this afternoon. I've been doing these periodic meetings over the phone for the past several years because I had sick dogs to take care of. I couldn't think of a good reason not to visit in person today. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly, because I should have stayed home. When I arrived at the guy's office he told me that he was recovering from the flu. He looked terrible. Yikes. I've always had a terrible phobia about being around people with colds. I seldom get sick, but I think the main reason is that I spend very little time around other people. I get nervous when I'm around someone with a cold. Oh, well. I did get my flu shot this year.

It's getting harder and harder to do more than one thing a day. When I got home from my meeting there was barely time to take my long walk. I initially thought I might be able to increase the distance I walk after a few months. I'm not so sure now. I've probably got the energy to go another mile on most days, but it just takes too long. Walking is a fairly time consuming way to get your exercise, but it still seems like a good idea. I don't think I'd want to spend this much time at the gym every day.

It looks like it's going to rain tomorrow. It may rain Friday as well. I wonder if I'll ever become comfortable with the idea of rain. Even though I've done a good job of patching the roof, I'm convinced that it is going to start leaking again. I need to make a decision about replacing the roof, but I haven't been happy with any of the bids so far. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a new roof and still be dealing with standing water after I'm done. Adding a slight pitch to the roof so that it will drain properly seems to double the price. I don't care how much you might love mid-century modern homes, don't ever buy a house with a flat roof. They are nothing but trouble.

I've wondered for a while why I wasn't able to enable WiFi calling on my phone. It turns out that my SIM card is too old. Usually when I get a new phone I just take the SIM card out of the old phone and put it in the new one. Looks like I can't do this any longer. If I want to be able to make WiFi calls on my current phone, I'll need to exchange the card for a current model. Who knew that these little chips had changed over the years. One more thing to add to my to-do list.

I hope I don't get the flu. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow either. I probably should just hope I can eventually learn to quit fretting about stupid things I have no control over.

Jordan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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