Day 4792

Where did the day go? I certainly didn't accomplish much today. It was a little chilly outside but there was no rain. It was foggy when we took Dawn on her early morning walk and it was very windy when I took my long walk later in the morning. I was hoping for a warm, clear day, but I'll take what I can get. I'm still dreading the rain that is supposed to start early tomorrow morning.

I didn't realize how addicted I've become to my Fitbit until the app crashed this morning and I couldn't count my steps. I don't know why I even need this thing, especially since I walk the same route every day and know exactly how long it is. The variations in the speed and distance I travel are so small that I can usually guess my pace and the number of steps I've taken at any point in time. All this really proves is that I can take any activity and make it boring.

Against my better judgement I applied for press accreditation to attend the Crew-6 launch. I didn't get accepted as a social media correspondent for this launch, but maybe I'll have better luck as a magazine reporter. The Crew-6 Mission will be exactly like all the other crewed missions I've attended at Kennedy Space Center, but I'd still like to go. Strangely, I feel like I belong when I'm down at a launch. I seldom feel that way in Dallas. It's a shame that Titusville is so far away and travel is so expensive. I'd go to every launch if I could. Kennedy Space Center and McDonald Observatory seem like home to me now. I've published numerous articles about my experiences in both places, but it still seems like a very expensive hobby. Oh, well. There are worse things to waste money on. At least I'm not buying watches or electric trains these days.

I don't know whether I still have seasonal allergies or a persistent cold. I've had a runny nose for weeks now. I don't feel sick, but the constant nasal drip is irritating. I use those heavy duty Scott blue towels as Kleenex now. It's surprising how quickly I can run through a roll. If I forget to put a few Scott towel squares in my pocket when I'm walking, I'm miserable. I wonder how long this is going to last? I'm used to Spring allergies and even Fall allergies, but a runny nose all year long is a little much.

I've noticed that the operating systems I run on my computers are called "antiques" now. Apple stopped updating my version of Safari years ago. This is causing problems since quite a few websites I use have quit working correctly. I can still use the latest version of Firefox for transactions, but Safari is becoming next to useless. I stubbornly refuse to buy a new computer and pay for subscriptions to Photoshop, Microsoft Word and just about anything else that is actually useful. Why can't I keep using Sierra or High Sierra forever? I haven't changed since these operating systems were considered state of the art. If Sierra and earlier Apple operating systems were perfectly good when my business was flourishing, why should I be forced to start over when I'm basically just killing time? This attitude is probably why I no longer have any web development business. I celebrate the old and the obsolete. I like my old computers, my old Nikon film cameras, and I wish I still had my Citroën SM.

I hope that tomorrow's forecast is wrong. Dawn still needs her early walk and I don't relish the idea of driving to the gym in the rain. All the buckets are clean and ready for use, but the thought of dealing with more roof leaks so soon after our last big rain is depressing.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day