Day 4732

We've been having a lot of nasty weather lately. I guess it's like this every year. I feel like I'm spending most of my time looking at the weather radar and trying to find time to squeeze in walks between rain showers. I was successful today, but you never know. I could get drenched tomorrow.

I ordered Christmas gifts on Amazon this morning. The web site said that they will be delivered on time, so I guess I'm done for another year. I used to send out Christmas cards, but I haven't done that for a long time. We used to get a ton of Christmas cards, but now we just get a few. Most of them are business cards from insurance agents and doctor's offices. I don't even know if sending Christmas cards is a tradition anymore. 

I hope the roof doesn't leak tonight. It rained enough today that it probably will. I usually go to bed thinking that everything's fine and then wake up in the middle of the night when I hear the ominous drip, drip, drip of another leak. I never know where to put the buckets ahead of time. The leaks usually originate near ceiling light fixtures or small cracks in the sheetrock, but you never know. Water is creative and can always seems to find someplace new to get into the house.

I've just about finished changing all my online passwords. I don't know if this is a futile gesture, but you've got to make an effort. So many people I know have gotten hacked recently that it would be foolish to think I'm immune. I really wonder if staying online is even worth the effort. Online shopping is really convenient, but I got along just fine without it for decades. I have a feeling that once I reach my 5000 day blogging goal, I'll be on the Internet a lot less. Now that I'm retired and the Internet is no longer an integral part of my business, it just doesn't give me much joy.

I did get to see Mars for a few minutes last night as it emerged from the other side of the moon. I missed the actual exit point of the occultation by a few minutes because I couldn't find any accurate times for the occultation in Dallas and I didn't feel like staying outside all night. The beginning and end times were different for every city. I did manage to see Mars very close to the Moon when there was a brief break in the clouds, so my efforts were at least semi-successful.

It's hard for me to resist the urge to buy things I don't need at this time of year. Almost every day I receive notices about big sales on astronomy and photographic gear. It's tempting, but I don't really need anything. How many cameras do you really need? When I feel like buying something I should go to the storage warehouse instead and take a look at where the stuff will wind up in a few years.

I find it interesting that Goblin Mode is this year's Oxford English Dictionary word of the year. I had to look up what the term means because I had never heard of it before. Maybe this term never resonated with me because I am never in goblin mode myself. My life is very regimented. I don't binge watch television. I don't eat snacks in bed. I actually make the bed every morning and always pick up my clothes. It just seems strange to me to celebrate self-indulgent, slovenly behavior. I find a structured life comforting, so I guess I'll continue methodically writing a blog post every evening and trying to walk six miles every day. 

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day