Saturday, June 24, 2023

Day 4930

Just a normal Saturday. We took Dawn on an early walk to avoid the heat, we had a big weekend breakfast, and then I got ready to do my grocery shopping. My grocery list was a little longer than usual today and I had to go to four different stores. I do my shopping earlier now, but the roads are still crowded. A lot of newcomers have moved to Dallas in recent years. A lot of them have apparently arrived recently because today I saw almost as many out of state plates on cars as Texas plates.

I'm really not fond of crowds. Every time I'm out and about, I grow nostalgic for the emptiness and wide open spaces of West Texas. Dallas is way too busy these days. I'm glad my working years are over. I'd hate fighting this traffic every day on the way to work. I got my shopping done as quickly as I could and headed back home. There are always surprises on my shopping run. I couldn't find my favorite brand of beer today and had to pick something else. I did find real whipping cream though, which has been in short supply recently.

It was too hot and humid to walk in the park this afternoon, so I headed back to the gym as soon as I put the groceries away. The gym was fairly empty this afternoon but there were people already using the basketball court so I didn't get to shoot baskets today. I walked around the indoor track until I got my Fitbit steps, worked on upper body strength with a few machines, and went back home again. It wasn't really a serious workout, but it was as good enough for me.

I'm still thinking about getting a new phone. There's nothing wrong with my current phone, but Janet's new phone has renewed my interest in getting something better. It isn't that hard to justify a new phone. It seems like I spend half my life using three Apple products. It's hard to imagine living without an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a computer anymore. I lived many, many years with any of these things and I'm not sure being connected had made my life better. I'll probably get the phone though. The newer cameras on these phones are great and there's an app for everything these days.

All my activity seems to take place in the morning lately. I finished all my shopping and was home from the gym before noon. I didn't do anything useful this afternoon. I wandered aimlessly around the house and took several short naps. There are definitely things that need attention, but it just seems too hot to start anything. I'm trying to decide whether to attempt painting the house myself. It's time. I've done this before but it's a messy job and I'm a lot older now. For now, I just keep looking at problem areas and wishing they'd go away.

I guess I'll go mall walking tomorrow. I discovered that my gym has reopened on Sundays now, but I've grown to like mall walking. Mall walking lets me observe the world without actually interacting with it. Maybe I need a weekly reminder of how silly and superficial our society has become. At least I've got a choice of things to do indoors now. Until this weather cools down a bit, it might be a while before I go walking in the park again.