Day 4472

I didn't really do much today but I still feel tired. We started the day as usual with a sunrise walk. Dawn is still excited about resuming her morning walks although I'd like to sleep in a little longer. At least I slept well last night. It was cold and I put a heavy blanket on the bed. I always seem to sleep better under a blanket.

After breakfast I went to the post office to mail my letter and then stopped by the AT&T store to ask about an iPhone 12 Mini deal that looked pretty good. The deal wasn't so good after all, since I would have needed to get a new phone plan to take advantage of it. I thought I had an unlimited data plan anyway, but apparently not. Hard to believe that AT&T has an even more expensive plan than mine, but they did. I also would have needed a new SIM card. I routinely move my SIM card between various phones, but that wouldn't work because the new phone was 5G. I guess I'll keep my trusty iPhone SE for a while longer.

The observatory contacted me today and said that they're interested in having me come out and volunteer during their Dark Sky Festival at the end of April. I'll probably go. I hate the long drive, but I've always enjoyed my time at McDonald Observatory. I've got friends out there and the night skies are absolutely spectacular. Hey, maybe I've got one more road trip in me. One of these days I really will be too old for this sort of thing. The only complication is that Artemis-1 might launch in late April as well. This is one launch that I'd really hate to miss.

I got a reply to my Sky & Telescope query. It wasn't a firm yes, but it wasn't a no either. They might be interested in a review of my Benro Polaris star tracker. I now have the address of the magazine's reviews editor and the encouragement I needed to pursue this a little further. It would be nice if I could figure out a way to combine my upcoming trip to the observatory with a review of the tracker. The magazine loves pictures, so this might work.

I walked my entire route today. It was a nice day and I wasn't worried about speed. It's unfortunate that it's getting a little harder to walk six miles every day, but I'd hate to give up at this point. What else would I do? I don't think I'd eliminate the foot pain if I went to the gym instead. Considering how bad my shoulder and knees are, walking is probably still my best form of exercise.

My allergies and/or cold seemed better this morning. At least I didn't spend the entire day blowing my nose. I'd really like to put this behind me, but I think it all depends on the weather. If there is going to be travel in my future, I definitely don't want to be fighting a cold. We'll see how it goes. This definitely isn't anything new. I can remember bringing entire rolls of those blue Scott shop towels with me on previous trips to the observatory. Flying with a runny nose isn't terribly fun either. 

Janet said that Dawn did well at training class tonight. She came home with another ribbon. Dawn must like the class. When Janet was getting the car ready, Dawn thought she was getting left behind and started crying at the front door.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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