Sunday, May 28, 2023

Day 4903

Not a bad day. It was supposed to rain today, but the rain never materialized. We had a pleasant early morning walk with Dawn and then returned home for a big breakfast. Our routine on Sunday seldom changes. After breakfast I make the bed and check my messages. Then I go walking at the mall.

Mall walking is a nice change of pace from walking in the park. The temperature is controlled, the terrain is flat, and the scenery is interesting in its own weird way. Every week there are stores that have closed and new ones that have opened. Window displays change, but everything still looks the same. I wonder who buys this stuff? I have never seen anyone wearing anything remotely similar to what is on display in these windows.

From a mall walkers perspective you'd think the most important things in the world were expensive purses. There are tons of purses on display in store windows. Some stores make a real effort to always feature new merchandise, while others never change their displays at all. Although most stores don't open until noon on Sunday, there are already people inside many of the stores. They are dusting things with Swiffer dusters. They are having staff meetings. And they are stocking merchandise. I don't think I'd enjoy working in retail. It seems like a boring existence.

Dawn was ready to go on her Sunday outing when I returned from the mall. As usual, she was eager to get in the car and than panicked as soon as the car started to move. It was a little warm today, but Dawn got a chance to smell new things and I added another mile to my daily step total. We concluded our Sunday outing with ice cream cones and then returned home. The ice cream store always has a help wanted sign outside. There must be a high turnover. 

I finally got started on my article about the AX-2 launch this afternoon. It seemed like a better alternative than fixing the screen door. I made good progress on the article, but still have some work to do. I'll probably finish the article tomorrow and then send it to the magazine on Tuesday. There are several interesting launches this summer, but it might be a while before I return to Kennedy Space Center. Until I can find a publication that actually pays for travel expenses, I need to watch my budget. The cost of everything continues to go up and these trips are getting expensive.

One of the UPS battery back up power sources for the computers in the office has gone bad. Do I replace this thing, or just do without it? After my last trip to the battery store, I'm reluctant to replace expensive batteries again. Batteries are the bane of my existence. They never last as long as I expect. I don't know what people who buy electric cares are thinking. None of these people have had the cars long enough to experience the frustration of battery replacement. It's still much easier for me to just go to the gas station.

I guess Memorial Day is tomorrow. This is a confusing holiday. For decades Memorial Day was always observed on May 30. Then somewhere along the line the date got changed to the last Monday in May so Federal employees could get a three day holiday. I'm glad Christmas is always on December 25. I have trouble remembering dates that change like Memorial Day and Easter.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day


Watch of the Day