The Crane Flies are back. I hate these things. They are like spiders with wings and every Spring thousands of them seem to gather by the back door, just waiting to get inside. I'm finding Crane Flies in every room of the house. They're slow and easy to catch, but they are a big nuisance. I've even found them inside the refrigerator.
The electrician came over today to fix the light switch in Janet's bathroom. As luck would have it, the switch wasn't made anymore and the replacement that the electrician thought would work wasn't compatible with the house wiring. Simple things always seem to turn into complicated things with this house. The electrician got the bathroom light and the exhaust fan working again, but a third switch on the receptacle that controls some exterior lighting is still inactive. I told the electrician to come back if he could figure out how to control all three circuits with a modern switch. It isn't critical though. The light works again and that was all that really mattered. Apparently, there are backflow problems with my house wiring. I'm not sure what that means at the moment, but it's one more thing to learn about.
Dawn was scared of the electrician. She didn't bark or anything. She just sat in the center of the bed and shivered. It's sad to see her frightened of anything new. It's understandable though. Dogs remember things and I'm sure she's had some very bad experiences in her life. At least she trusts Janet and I now. It's going to be a long, slow learning process to get her to trust the rest of the world.
I asked the electrician how he was coping with the virus and his reaction was about the same as mine. If everything you know is delivered by a media you don't entirely trust, how can you know what is true? I'm definitely keeping my distance from people, but I would be doing that anyway. The weird thing is that nothing has changed in my life. Nobody has sent me home from work. I have no children or older parents to worry about. If I don't show symptoms in another week or so, it's a pretty safe bet that I didn't catch anything from star party guests at the observatory. It's unlikely that any of these people were infected anyway, but anything is possible.
I got a notice that NASA was taking applications for media accreditation for the first Crew Dragon flight to the ISS in mid-May. Will the virus have subsided by then, or will things be even worse? It's impossible to tell at the moment. I think I'll apply anyway. A lot can happen in two months. I'll have to ask the British magazine that has been publishing my articles to send me to Kennedy Space Center, but I have a feeling that this won't be a problem. The real problem will be whether I have the nerve to get on a plane again after the pandemic runs its course.
I finished the first draft of my Sky and Telescope article today. I'll still need to do some editing, but I'm pleased so far. It's been so long since I initially proposed the McDonald Observatory article that I'm not sure the magazine is still interested. It doesn't hurt to be optimistic though. I think the article is pretty good.
I took the trash out to the curb, but it doesn't look like I'll be going out to breakfast tomorrow. All the restaurants in town are closed.
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