Friday, September 23, 2022

Day 4656

With a developing hurricane headed straight toward Florida, I fully expected NASA to postpone the Artemis launch today. Nope. They just kicked the can down the road, saying that they were closely monitoring the situation. I haven't canceled my reservations yet, but I probably will tomorrow. Flying into Orlando at the same time everyone else is trying to leave just doesn't seem very smart. It takes three days to roll the Artemis rocket back to the VAB, so NASA will need to make a decision soon. You can tell that these guys are trying really hard to avoid moving the rocket again. I'm sure they realize that after another bumpy journey back to the VAB, it will probably start leaking again.

The weather was fine here in Dallas. We had a very nice sunrise walk with Dawn. The temperature was in the mid-70's. The humidity was low. And there was a nice breeze. I didn't even think about going to the gym today. Even before breakfast I could tell that it was going to be a good day for a walk in the park.

After breakfast I checked my messages and got ready to change all my reservations. There wasn't any news yet though, so I went on my long walk. The trees are definitely starting to show some Fall color now.   I saw lots of Great Egrets today and the American White Pelicans are growing in number.  I didn't see the Muscovy Ducks this morning. After all these years I still don't know where they hide.

I returned to the house in time to catch an audio teleconference where the Artemis team was going to review their options going forward. There were lots of questions about why the team was moving forward toward a launch on the 27th when the weather was clearly deteriorating. Right now there is an 80% chance of a weather violation on launch day and the forecast is getting worse. The Artemis team clearly wants to keep their options open though and hope for the best. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I think they are running out of time.

I hate that my seasonal allergies have returned. I'm blowing my nose all the time now. I feel like I have inhaled pepper and at night I get nasal congestion and end up breathing through my mouth. This means that I don't sleep as well. I wake up with a dry mouth and have to go to the kitchen to drink some water. When I go on my long walk I have to stuff my pockets with Kleenex. If memory serves, these allergy problems aren't going away soon. I"m going to have a runny nose for the next several months.

I did some little chores around the house this afternoon, but didn't feel like attempting anything ambitious. I watered the plants in the atrium, tested the generator to make sure it was still working, and cleaned a toilet. I didn't do a load of laundry today because I already did that yesterday. I really should have gone ahead and canceled my reservations. I can't imagine that the launch will take place on the 27th, but what do I know. NASA has access to the best weather forecasters in the world. Maybe they know something I don't.

I don't have a big grocery list this week, but I'll still go to the store tomorrow morning. I'll probably go to the gym tomorrow afternoon. I think I've walked in the park enough this week. Hopefully NASA will make a final decision about the launch sometime tomorrow as well. I think Saturday is the last day I can cancel everything without penalties.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day


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