Thursday, July 21, 2022

Day 4592

I never imagined that summer would be a never ending string of hundred degree days. This is getting old. The temperature was a bit cooler this morning since it was overcast. The skies were dark and it looked like it was raining somewhere. Unfortunately we didn't get any. The cloudy skies did knock the temperature down a bit though. It stayed below 90 until mid afternoon. It's weird when 90 degrees feels like a cold wave.

It's so dry out that we put some water out for the squirrels. I'm not fond of squirrels, but they deserve water too. Watering outdoor plants had become a daily necessity. It's amazing how quickly everything dries up. A patch of Asian Jasmine out of reach of our sprinkler is already dead. I just paid the July water bill and it has gone up considerably. I'm sure the August bill will be even worse.

It was back to the gym again after breakfast this morning. I was terrible on the basketball court today. Weird. I was pretty good yesterday. Getting my steps on the gym's indoor track is boring, but it still beats walking outside. Each time I complete a lap, I calculate how much time I have left in my head. I'm surprised at how much time people spend talking at the gym. At times everyone seems to be chatting with someone except for me. You probably have to be able to carry on a good conversation to get hired as a trainer at this place. If people aren't talking, they are looking at their phones. Even when I'm walking in the park, I see people who are constantly looking at their phones. I don't get it. I still prefer solitude. The voices in my head are just fine.

The Land Rover dealership called today to remind me of my Saturday appointment. Unfortunately, they had totally forgotten what I was coming in for. I wanted to confirm that I'd be able to pick my car up the came day and the service representative said, "No, you'll have to leave it here for seven days before we can get to it." Wait a minute. You guys told me that it would be ready in two hours. We finally got it straightened out that I was coming in for a scheduled factory recall instead of an engine repair. They eventually confirmed that the car would be ready by the end of the day Saturday, but I have no faith in these guys. I wish I could just take the car to the other repair place, but the dealership is the only place that deals with factory recalls. 

I've got an appointment for a haircut tomorrow. I usually get a haircut before I travel somewhere, but there are no travel plans this time. Finally there are firm dates for the Artemis-1 launch and Special Viewing nights at the McDonald Observatory's historic 82" telescope. These are both events that I've been waiting for, but I'm losing my interest in going to either of them. There are three tentative dates for the Artemis-1 launch, all two or three days apart. If I go down to Florida for the first launch opportunity, it would be just my luck that the launch would be delayed until the last scheduled date almost a week later. This could be very expensive and hotels are booking up already. Covid restrictions are returning too. Is this even worth it?  I'm putting the cart before the horse though. My press credentials haven't even been approved yet. The trip out to the observatory is a little different. I'm not sure I want to make that long drive ever again. Each time I make the drive it seems a little worse. 

It's kind of sad that taking a nap with Dawn is right up there with rocket launches in terms of my priorities. That's where I'm headed though. I'm tired and have nothing to prove anymore. After a while one rocket launch begins to look exactly like the next one and the night sky always looks more or less the same. I'm starting to question what fun actually is. These days I think getting a good night's sleep is fun.

It looks like another triple digit day tomorrow. I've taken the trash out to the curb and watered the lawn. It's time to get some sleep.

Katie is today's Dalmatian of the Day


Watch of the Day