Day 4626

I made some progress with my travel plans today. I didn't make as much progress as I'd like but at least I've checked a few more things off my list. I'm not a great traveler. I procrastinate. I overthink things. I concentrate on cameras and computers and forget to take the clothes I need. I'm sure I'll be ready in time, but I'm equally sure that I'll forget something important.

We had a nice cool day again today. There was a beautiful sunrise on our early walk with Dawn and the park was pleasantly quiet. Dawn really loves these sunrise walks. I'd prefer to sleep in a little longer, but the walks do help to wake me up. I'm usually ready to start the day when we return to the house.

It was cool enough to take another long walk in the park after breakfast. I don't think summer is over yet, but it's great to get some relief from the constant string of 100 degree days we've been having. It kind of irritates me that my Fitbit doesn't think I'm exercising enough when I take these long walks. It doesn't think you've had a real workout unless your heart rate becomes elevated. I walk at a nice steady pace and my heart rate is very low. Who cares what Fitbit thinks. I think I'm doing pretty good to walk six miles a day.

I printed out all the documents and maps I think I'll need for the Florida trip and put them in a manilla folder. I do this every time I travel. Most of this information is available on my computer or phone, but it seems so much easier to just pull a piece of paper out of my folder. I did add the Airbnb app to my phone though and saved my destination in Google maps. I need to remember to copy the NASA e-mails to my laptop. I may need those as well.

I got another message today saying to arrive very early for the launch and any pre-launch activities. These messages always end with a disclaimer saying that NASA can't be responsible for journalists missing an event because of bad traffic or congestion on the roads. They are still expecting huge crowds for this event. Now there is a chance of rain in the forecast as well. I read an article yesterday about all the hundreds of things that could go wrong with the Artemis rocket from now until the launch. It didn't sound promising. It will be a miracle if this launch takes place on schedule. The only thing that would guarantee a perfect launch is if I wasn't there. I can't take that chance, so I'll go. I'll probably stay up all night on launch day, get eaten alive by mosquitos, and end up watching the launch get scrubbed at the last minute by an unexpected morning thunderstorm.

I wish I could be more positive about this trip, but I'm not very positive about anything lately. Traveling makes me nervous, but I usually end up being glad I went. Let's hope this continues. I don't want to end up being one of those old people who never leaves the house. Dawn didn't win any ribbons at training class tonight, but Janet said she did well. Tomorrow we'll take another sunrise walk and I'll continue getting a little closer to being ready for my flight. I'm so slow these days, but luckily I still manage to reach the finish line.

Hero is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day