Day 4710

What a way to start the day. The Artemis-1 launch was spectacular. The launch team must have learned a lot from their previous attempts because the entire countdown went very smoothly this time. There was some drama along the way, but it was clear that NASA was determined to launch Artemis today if at all possible. At one point everyone thought the launch might get scrubbed when a small hydrogen leak was discovered with only about twenty minutes left in the count. 

They didn't stop though. A special red team trained to work under hazardous conditions was sent to the launch pad to fix the leak. Evidently this is very dangerous because when a rocket like this is fully fueled, a spark near a hydrogen leak could cause the whole thing to explode. The red team fixed the leak like it was all in a days work. A little later a tracking radar down range wasn't sending data and stopped the count again because of a faulty ethernet switch. This was quickly fixed and the count resumed. There was still some caulking on the Orion capsule that came loose during Hurricane Nicole, but the launch team didn't seem to think this was a problem.

It's weird to think that the launch was almost stopped by a few loose bolts and a faulty ethernet switch. I guess low tech can trump high tech on just about any launch. The thousands of people who have worked on the Artemis program must have felt vindicated today. The rocket has received a lot of criticism lately, but almost everything worked perfectly this morning. The Orion capsule is on the way to the moon right now. 

This was the most spectacular launch I've ever witnessed. The huge rocket turned night into day during liftoff. The exhaust flame was so bright that it literally looked like the sun has risen. Artemis was also extremely loud. I'm sure this launch could be seen and heard for miles. I was hesitant about going to this launch because there was a good chance it wouldn't succeed. There were literally thousands of things that could go wrong. I'm glad I went though. It isn't everyday you get to see the most powerful rocket in the world heading toward the moon. The next Artemis will have people on board. Hopefully I'll be around to see that one too.

I didn't get back to the hotel after the launch until almost 4 AM. I immediately began to wonder why I was staying another day in Titusville and changed all my reservations again. I was lucky to get the last seat on an afternoon flight back to Dallas and I'm home again now. Brr. It's cold here. The weather was a lot nicer in Titusville. I saved some money by cutting a day off my stay, but unfortunately not enough to pay for the furnace repairs. Yikes. The special variable speed motor the furnace required was four times as expensive as an ordinary electric appliance motor. 

Tomorrow I'll unpack and write my article for SpaceFlight magazine. For now, it's time to get some sleep. I doubt if there will be any more launch trips this year. Hopefully there won't be any more broken appliances either. 

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4709

I'm back at Kennedy Space Center for another Artemis launch attempt. The launch is technically tomorrow morning, but it's going to seem like late tonight to me. If all goes well, liftoff will be a little after 1 AM. Everything looks good so far. The countdown is proceeding and there doesn't seem to be any weather problems.

The day got off to a very early start. My flight departed at 6 AM, so I had to be at the airport a lot earlier for all the TSA stuff. I must be getting slower because I cut it pretty close this time, arriving at the gate just fifteen minutes before boarding. I've been to Kennedy Space Center so many time by now that this trip is getting to seem very routine. I don't even need a car with GPS anymore. Titusville is a small town and it's starting to feel very familiar. 

I had to pick up my credentials before noon today, so that left me with a lot of free time. I went out to the Press Site to see what was going on and was surprised that the place seemed relatively empty. There were definitely a lot fewer people than were at the first launch attempt. I'm sure there will be a more folks arriving later tonight, but so far this launch seems a little subdued. All the scrubbed launches probably just wore everyone out. 

I got my Fitbit steps walking around the Press Site parking lot and then went to the space center Sonny's BBQ for a smoked pork sandwich. Sonny's has some great bartbecue and I always enjoy eating there. Before I left the Press Site to check in at my hotel I heard that the Artemis launch team had completed their final pre-launch meeting and had given the go ahead to begin fueling the rocket. 

My hotel isn't as bad as I thought. It's not the place I would have picked, but it's clean and relatively convenient. There must be a lot of people who are planning to show up at the Press Site later tonight because all the hotels in town are completely booked. I was actually lucky to get a room here. 

I've been told that the journalists covering the launch should plan to arrive that the Press Site by 7 PM tonight. That leaves a lot of time to sit around doing nothing. I guess I could go later, but there's no point in staying at the hotel. There's not a lot of point in going our for dinner either. After my big lunch, I couldn't eat another thing. I didn't run into anyone I knew this afternoon, but I'll probably see a few familiar faces tonight. I hope my camera works. I've been having problems with this camera lately. Actually the problems are mostly with me. It's hard for me to adjust the camera and focus properly in the dark. I always forget something on these trips. This time it was a flashlight.

I hope the furnace is getting fixed back in Dallas. Janet said the repairman was coming back this afternoon with the new blower motor. There will still be problems when this is fixed, but at least I'll be warm. One one the problems reoccured last night while I was finishing packing. Another roof leak. I was surprised. We haven't had to deal with a leak in months. Oh, well. It's always something.

I really hope that Artemis is successful this time. I'm sure the launch team learned some things from the first two attempts. It probably didn't hurt to have a chance to completely inspect the rocket while it was inside the VAB as well. So far, people seem optimistic. There's only a few hours left until launch time. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow.

Honey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4707

The house was very cold this morning. Luckily we had lots of blankets on the bed. I wish the furnace didn't decide to break on a weekend, but it is what it is. It actually got below freezing last night, so after we got finished taking Dawn on a chilly sunrise walk, our cold house seemed a lot warmer. 

I tried without much success to get the furnace running again. At one point the blower kicked in for a few minutes and warm air was flowing through the vents but it didn't last long. Something is seriously wrong with the fan and it doesn't take long for a circuit breaker to shut the furnace down. I really hope that I can get someone out here to fix this tomorrow morning. I hate being cold.

After breakfast I went walking at the mall. The car started easier this morning, so that was encouraging. I'm still a little nervous that it won't start when I need to go to the airport. The mall is already in full Christmas mode. Christmas trees are everywhere. The house where people bring their kids to see Santa is up. And most of the stores already have Christmas themed window displays. It's almost like Thanksgiving has been completely forgotten.

I walked my 2.5 miles and came home. Dawn was waiting for her Sunday outing, so off we went again for another walk. I kept falling behind on this third walk of the day. I was tired and my feet hurt. It was a nice day for walking though. The temperature rose quickly once the sun came up and it felt like a brisk Fall day. By the time we finished our ice cream cones, I was ready for a nap.

I tried without any success to find a better hotel for my Artemis trip. I finally gave up and confirmed my reservations at the hotel I've been trying to avoid. So far, it appears that the launch will take place on schedule. I still wonder why I am doing this. I don't really like night launches. If I stayed home and the launch was successful, I'd be kicking myself though. I guess I'm still going because I can. Press credentials for this thing were hard to get.

I should have started packing today, but I couldn't get motivated. It will be a busy day tomorrow. I hope the furnace repairs aren't too expensive. Who am I kidding. Of course they will be expensive. On a more positive note, I don't think there is anything left in the house to break. Maybe it will be smooth sailing for a while after this. One can always hope.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4706

Good grief. Our furnace went out on the coldest night of the year. It wasn't the flame sensor this time so I couldn't fix it myself. The gas was coming on, but the fan wasn't working so no air was reaching the vents. Since there was no air circulating through the furnace, it would quickly overheat and shut down. 

As luck would have it, the HVAC guy I've been using for over twenty years retired a few months ago. I didn't know who to call until I remembered that the plumbing company I've been using has a HVAC division. I called their emergency number and about a half hour later one of their on-call technicians called me back. He said he could come over, but advised against it, telling me that the company's overtime and weekend rates were ridiculously high. He said that if we were cold, we could stay in a nice hotel for the weekend for a lot less than their emergency rates and asked if I could wait until Monday. The rates definitely were ridiculously high and I asked who would pay this kind of money. Hospitals, commercial companies, and others who absolutely could not afford to have their heating and cooling interrupted evidently. This company is good but they don't do much residential work. I decided to wait until Monday.

We bundled up for our sunrise walk this morning. Dawn, like all of our Dalmatians, seemed to like the cold. I was warm enough because I was wearing two down coats. Winter arrived rather suddenly this year. Only a few weeks ago I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. A hot breakfast warmed me up a bit, but the house has stayed cold all day. I have resisted the urge to monkey around with the furnace because I would probably only make things worse. The technician I talked to this morning said that I probably need a new fan motor and capacitors. I wished the guy could have come out today but I wasn't about to pay $700 extra for a weekend service call. 

I had a hard time starting the car when I went to get groceries this morning. WTF? I have a brand new battery. The battery is still under warranty, but I'll have to find time to go to the repair shop that sold me the battery on Monday. At any rate, the saga of broken stuff continues and I can't seem to catch a break. Once the car was warm it started fine, but I don't want an unreliable car if I've got to get up early to go to the airport.

I probably will need to go to the airport soon. I got a message from NASA today saying the the Causeway bridge has been repaired and that the Titusville entrance to Kennedy Space Center is usable again. Damn. This took away my best excuse to scrap the trip and stay home. I guess I should just go through with the trip. I've already committed to write an article for SpaceFlight Magazine and I'm a bit worried that if I skipped this launch it might affect my ability to get a press pass in the future. Oh, well. Like it or not, I'm headed back to Florida.

It never did get warm today but I took my walk in the park anyway. This was a winter walk with a sweater and a warm coat. There are a lot fewer cyclists and joggers in the winter. The weather was nice this afternoon, but I was still a bit chilly. Tomorrow I'll go mall walking and start to pack for the Artemis launch. I'd better get some warm blankets out for tonight. I't s going to be very cold in the house.

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4705 - Veteran's Day

Today was disappointing. The carpenter came over right when he promised he would. He was a nice guy. Unfortunately, when he looked at the damage, he told me that the repairs looked too complicated for him and he didn't want to bid on the job. After several days of searching, this was the best carpenter I could find, so I don't know what I'm going to do now. Carpenters seem to fall into two categories. There are framers who build new houses and cabinetmakers who remodel kitchens and make custom bookshelves. I need one of those carpenters like you see on that "This Old House" show on PBS. I think a restoration carpenter is going to be very hard to find in Dallas. This city doesn't value anything old. Scrape it and replace it is the motto here.

After my failure with the carpenter, I went back inside and checked my e-mail. There was a message from NASA saying that the NASA Causeway bridge between Titusville and Kennedy Space Center had been damaged by Hurricane Nicole and was closed until further notice. They said that journalists would have to take an alternate route to the Press Site for the Artemis-1 launch. Bummer. This new route adds an extra hour of driving time each way between the hotel and the space center. A big section of this road is under construction as well. Since the launch is scheduled to take place at 1 AM, the last thing I want to be doing is driving at night on roads that have those concrete construction barriers on either side of a narrow lane. I've been on this road before and it's a pain during the day. I'm really not looking forward to driving two hours every time I want to go to the Press Site. There will probably be horrible traffic jams as well, since this alternate route is now the only entrance to the space center. A lot of people work at this facility. Add all these employees to the visiting Artemis press and you've potentially got a real mess. I find it difficult to believe that a hurricane that could seriously damage a major bridge would leave the Artemis rocket unscathed, but that's what they say. NASA is apparently still planning to launch this thing on November 16th.

I'll think about this over the weekend, but I'm really tempted to cancel my plans and just stay here in Dallas. None of this seems very fun anymore. I'm staying in a bad hotel. The launch is in the middle of the night now, so you won't be able to see much. Worst of all, the main bridge connecting Titusville to the space center is out, forcing everyone to take a very long detour to reach the press site. Is it worth it? I seriously doubt it. There will be other launches in the future. It might be time to get realistic and cut my losses.

Not only was it a dismal rainy day, it was also very cold. When we took our sunrise walk this morning, it didn't feel like Fall, it felt like Winter. I think it will be even colder tomorrow with temperatures approaching freezing. This all seems rather sudden, but that's Texas weather for you. We're going to have to find Dawn's sweater for tomorrow's walk.

It rained for most of the day but I still had to get my steps. The fact that I drove to the gym in heavy rain shows how committed I've become to getting my steps. Maybe the cold weather improved my metabolism because I was pretty good on the basketball court this afternoon and made surprisingly good time walking on the indoor track. I may end up going back to the gym tomorrow. It's grocery day for me and I often don't have time to take a walk in the park.

I don't have much of a connection to Veteran's Day anymore. Both my parents were Navy veterans but they've been gone a long time. I don't actually know many people who've served. I think our veterans deserve a lot of respect, but we really need to stop sending them to needless, pointless wars. We never should have gone to Iraq and Afghanistan. We probably should have never gone to Vietnam either. 

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4703

Not a lot was accomplished today. After the time change, we're taking our sunrise walks in daylight again. The ground was soggy, but it looks like the rain is over for a while. I think Dawn is still running on Daylight Savings Time. She's ready to get up earlier in the morning and wants her dinner earlier as well. I'm fine with the time change. I didn't really like walking in the dark.

I took my long walk right after breakfast this morning because I wanted to take advantage of the cooler weather. I didn't see the eagles today, but the muscovy ducks and our resident geese were waiting for me. I probably should have gone back to the gym. These walks are starting to get boring again.

After I returned to the house, I wrote a letter to my sister and took it to the post office on my way to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. I needed to reschedule a doctor's appointment because of the changing Artemis launch schedule and I checked with the urologist about my test results. I stayed busy, but it didn't really feel like I was accomplishing anything. The elephant in the room is still Hurricane Nicole. Am I going to have to change my travel plans again?

I've been watching the weather and it's still uncertain whether Hurricane Nicole is going to do any damage at Kennedy Space Center. It still doesn't seem like a good idea to leave the rocket out on the pad during a hurricane, but what do I know? I hope everything gets resolved soon. I really hate continually changing my hotel and airline reservations.

Tomorrow a carpenter is coming over to the house to take a look at the rotted wood on the fascia of our flat roof. Hopefully he will tell me that this is an easy fix and I can tell him to go ahead with the repairs. This is one of the things I really need to get done soon. You can't have your house falling down around you. Maybe when I get this repair completed, I can finally start thinking about cameras and lenses again. I've had a lot of unexpected expenses this Fall. It's much more enjoyable to spend your money on things you don't really need.

Janet said that Dawn did well in training class tonight. She didn't win any ribbons this week, but she's in the advanced class now. This dog has more regular activities than I do. That's OK though. I'm not trying to win any ribbons.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4702

I didn't see the lunar eclipse this morning. We would have had a good view on our early walk with Dawn, but it was quite foggy outside. It did see something interesting much closer to earth though. On my long walk right after breakfast, I saw Nick and Nora, our two resident bald eagles, arriving at their nest. The nest has already survived two storms, so maybe the eagles will be luckier this year.

I walked earlier this morning than usual, because I had a doctor's appointment later in the day. I made good time and my feet held up pretty well. It would have been easier to just skip today's walk, but I can't do that. I'm closing in on a full year of getting more than 10,000 steps a day. You've got to have goals. It doesn't really matter if the goals are stupid.

My yearly visit to the urologist was uneventful. The drive to the clinic took a lot longer than the exam. I'm still in pretty good shape for my age. I have an appointment to see the eye doctor later this month, but my mandatory exams for 2022 are just about finished. I'm a little nervous about the eye exam. I'm still hoping to postpone my cataract surgery a bit longer. Any type of surgery makes me very nervous.

Janet and I finally found a place to have our Thanksgiving Brunch. It wasn't the place we wanted, but it sounds interesting and the restaurant has great reviews. We've never had Thanksgiving dinner in a Mexican restaurant before. The Thanksgiving menu is quite a bit different, but it actually sounds delicious.

The date for the Artemis launch has changed. What a mess. I just got finished changing all my reservations. I couldn't get a better hotel, but luckily I was able to keep my room at the first hotel I reserved. My airfare costs more now. This always happens when I change a reservation on Southwest Airlines. I still wonder why I'm going to this launch. The launch happens in the middle of the night and there's a good chance that something will go wrong and it won't get off the ground anyway. I still don't know why NASA decided to leave the rocket on the pad with a hurricane approaching. Maybe they secretly want the rocket to be damaged in the storm so they won't have to take responsibility for a failure. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly. I still wouldn't be terribly surprised if the launch date changes again. A lot could change as Nicole gets closer to shore.

Sometimes I wish that people still used travel agents. It's a lot of trouble to change travel plans yourself. I knew I had to act fast this afternoon because as soon as NASA changed the launch date, the entire press corps would be changing their hotel reservations as well. Half the time my attempts to make or change reservations on my computer fail. Maybe it's my older computer, or maybe people don't bother to update their websites anymore. I usually end up having to make reservations on my phone. The phone works, but I still prefer using the computer. I like a real keyboard and a large monitor. I guess I'd better get used to using my phone. Even though I rarely use mine, the rest of the world is glued to their phones.

I can't say that I'm all that interested in today's election. Despite what some say, the world isn't going to end no matter who wins. Politicians are all hat and no cattle. I don't believe any of them. If you have to put a label on me, I guess you'd call me a libertarian. As far as I'm concerned, the less government the better. The best outcome in an election is a divided government where nothing gets done. If one party controls everything, they usually end up making a mess of things. I do think we ought to have an age limit on our elected officials though. The folks who pull the strings now are way too old.

I don't think much is going to happen tomorrow. I got everything done today. We'll see what happens. I find that life is still full of surprises.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4701

The day started out normally enough. It was already light outside when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. It was also very warm and muggy, but I didn't give that any thought. I ate my breakfast and took my long walk in the park. There was no wind and I thought it was just going to be another overcast day, but about five minutes after I returned home the skies opened up and it started pouring rain. What was this about?. I'm usually right on top of changing weather, but this downpour caught me completely by surprise.  

Actually the entire day caught me by surprise. I finally got hold of the restaurant where Janet and I wanted to have Thanksgiving Brunch and they told me that the event was already completely sold out. I must have acted surprised because the person I talked to on the phone said that some people had made their reservations two to three months ago. What has changed? I have made reservations several weeks ahead of time at this restaurant many times before and never had any problems.

I tried to remember other places we've gone on Thanksgiving and our second choice wasn't even doing a Thanksgiving Brunch this year. I did a Google search and found a couple of other places, but when I called I just got a voicemail message. We may have to come up with a plan B.

I have a feeling that the November 14th Artemis launch isn't going to happen. Nicole is a named storm now and is headed toward Kennedy Space Center. I got a message from NASA this morning saying that all media activities are subject to change. A lunar eclipse photo opportunity has already been canceled and remote camera activities have been postponed. If the storm strengthens and becomes a hurricane, I suspect that Artemis will be rolled back to the VAB again. Things are changing quickly though. There may not even be time to roll the rocket back to the VAB. This launch appears to be cursed. I hope they don't wait until the last minute to make a decision about the launch date. I need time so that I can cancel my reservations without penalties if necessary. Right now it appears that they are just going to leave the rocket on the pad during the storm and hope for the best. I have a bad feeling about this. If they just cancel the attempt on the 14th and push everything back to the 16th at the last minute I doubt that I'll be able to find a hotel. At any rate, I'll be checking the weather in Florida very carefully as the week continues.

I was surprised at how heavy today's rain was. I just got lucky that I wasn't caught out in it. At this time of year I need to remember to always check the weather before I do anything. Storms can appear out of nowhere during the rainy season. Oh, well. At least I don't have to worry about an approaching hurricane. The pumps are still working on the roof and so far we have had no water leaks.

I hope our weather improves tomorrow. I have a doctor's appointment and it looks like it will be a busy day. I hope I can still find someplace nice to go out for dinner on Thanksgiving. We weren't really planning to stay home and cook. I'm still disappointed that our favorite restaurant is completely booked. They stopped doing their Thanksgiving Brunch during the Covid years and Janet and I were both looking forward to a return to normalcy. This should probably be a lesson for me. There's a good chance that nothing will ever be normal again.

At least all the annoying campaign ads and commentary on TV will be gone after tomorrow. I'm sick of all the hysteria. The world isn't going to end no matter who wins. It will just slowly continue to deteriorate.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4698

We got a lot of rain today, but all is well. The storm did produce tornados, but there were none in our area. No trees fell in the yard, the roof hasn't leaked, and the day wasn't totally disrupted. We were able to give Dawn her regular sunrise walk and I even had time to take a long walk in the park after breakfast before the weather got bad. The entire storm system moved through town very quickly, leaving much cooler temperatures in its wake. I was really surprised at how cold it feels now.

I walked earlier than usual this morning in an effort to beat the rain. Although I've only seen the eagles once since their return to the park, I did find their new nest today. Eagles don't appear to be that smart about picking a nest location. Once again they've built their nest at the top of a dead tree. Hopefully, the tree won't blow over in a storm and destroy the nest like it did last year. Everyone seems to assume that these are the same two eagles that made their home in the park last year. You couldn't prove it by me. Every eagle I've ever seen looks exactly the same.

My feet certainly aren't improving. I'm starting to have a lot of foot pain again. For a while I thought this might be because my walking shoes are starting to wear out. That's not it. I wore some new Hokas on my last trip to Florida and my feet felt exactly the same. The pain isn't bad enough to stop me from walking, but it is irritating. It's just another aspect of growing old I suspect.

The media logistics e-mail for the next Artemis launch attempt came out today. I now know when and where to go throughout the entire launch window. I'm glad everything meshed well with the plans I've already made, because it's way too late for me to change anything. I really hope the next launch attempt is successful. I can't afford many more trips to see launches that get scrubbed.

I'll continue to look for a better hotel, but I doubt that I'll find anything. Even if a room does open up, I'm sure that someone pushier or with a lot more clout than I have will grab it first. Oh, well. You win some and you lose some. I've usually found very nice places to stay while I'm in Titusville. I guess my luck had to run out sometime.

I'm glad we didn't get any damage from today's storms. Storms are not my friend. After years of downed trees and roof leaks, I always expect the worst. I don't know what I'd do without the weather apps on my phone. They are really pretty accurate. I know when the rain is going to start and stop, as well as how bad it is going to be. Without these apps, I probably wouldn't have had the nerve to take a long walk today. You don't want to be out alone in the woods when tornados are in the forecast.

The weather will be a lot better tomorrow. We'll have to dress warmly for Dawn's sunrise walk though. The temperature will be in the low 40's. I haven't made a grocery list yet, but that's on the agenda. It looks we're going to have a fairly normal weekend. As far as I'm concerned, normal is good.

Ginger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4697

I spent several hours trying to find a better hotel for my next trip to Titusville. No luck at all. Everything is completely booked. Even the place where I'm currently staying is completely booked now. I'll be OK, but I hate it when the reviews start with "smells like pee." I guess I'm a little surprised that the Artemis-1 launch is still such an attraction. After two failures, the chance of a third failure is still fairly high. Maybe others are going back for the same reason I am. If I stayed home this time it would almost guarantee that there would be a flawless, trouble free launch. I guess I still want to see this thing, even if the launch now takes place at midnight.

I don't know why I thought it was Friday for most of the day. I guess I'm just ready for this week to be over. The day started like any other weekday. We walked Dawn in the dark. I ate my breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit, checked my messages, and then contemplated taking another long walk in the park. 

Before leaving on my walk, I made some final edits on my Falcon Heavy article and selected a few pictures to accompany it. I summited the article and a few hours later received a thumbs up from my editor. I'm disappointed that I didn't have better pictures, but the article itself was pretty good. I hope the magazine will be interested in another article about Artemis. I'm not sure though. SpaceFlight devoted much of their November issue to the Artemis-1 mission and the rocket didn't even launch. Hey, I've still got my credentials though. I might as well see this thing through to the end.

I had a nice walk this morning even though I got rained on a bit. The weather will be much worse tomorrow. There are tornado warnings with a chance of quarter sized hail. There's only a 10% chance of a tornado in our location, but any chance at all is always unsettling. I'm really glad I got the tree removed from the roof before the bad weather starts. Any significant wind could have caused the large branch to fall and break something. I don't think any rain is expected until tomorrow afternoon, so we'll still be able to take Dawn on her early morning walk.

I finally found a carpenter to fix the rotted fascia on the side of our house. I found the guy on the Internet. I guess that's just how you do things these days. This guy had good reviews, but I still prefer a recommendation from friends. Since most of my friends are closer to going into assisted living than they are to remodeling their houses these days, we don't trade home improvement recommendations very often. I certainly don't know who to recommend anymore. Most of the people I've used in the past have either retired or died.

My Fitbit isn't recording my steps correctly anymore. This is irritating since I've become addicted to counting steps. I checked on the user group and saw that several other people were having the same problem. I suspect that my iPhone has become too old for Fitbit to bother with. This has happened to me before with other apps and software. When companies update software and apps so they are compatible with new hardware, older stuff like I use often gets left in the dust. One more reason to get a new phone I guess.

I hope the weather reports are wrong about tomorrow's storms. I really hate dealing with bad weather.

Wolfgang is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4689

I really thought I was going to get the dryer fixed today but it wasn't meant to be. When the appliance repairman arrived he discovered that another part was needed that wasn't on the truck. The part was available in town and we decided that it made more sense to just do all the repairs tomorrow rather than tear the machine apart twice. This means that I will have to remove all the junk from the utility room all over again tomorrow morning. It took me about an hour to do this today and I'm sure it will take just as long tomorrow. Not surprisingly, the repairs are more expensive than I'd hoped, but when they are finished I should have a reliable dryer again.

I didn't have time for a long walk today, but I was able to get my 10,000 steps before the repairman arrived. I guess I could have walked again later in the day, but I didn't feel like it. I asked if I could be the first appointment tomorrow morning so I won't have to wait as long. I wish I'd thought of this earlier. If there are several appointments ahead of you, it is almost inevitable that the repairman will be late. 

The tree guy I called yesterday actually called me back. This surprised me, but I'm glad I'll be able to get the large tree limb removed from our roof without having to deal with someone I've never used before. Nothing on the schedule yet. The guy was on a job when he called and said he'd get back with me later. This may take a while, but at least it's a start.

Tonight was the annual Halloween party at Dawn's training class. We've been to so many of these parties with Dot and Dash. I can't even remember all the costumes we've made for the dogs over the years. I went along with Janet tonight, mostly for old time's sake. Dawn went as Cruella DeVil and won first place in her category. Dawn didn't like wearing the Cruella wig, but she was a good sport about it. I enjoyed going to these classes when we had Dot and Dash. It's better if I don't go now. I could tell that Dawn got distracted when I was there tonight. She kept jumping up on me as if she was trying to get me to save her from having to wear the wig.

I'm still trying to find a carpenter to repair the rotted fascia wood on my roof. I tried several websites and got a response from one. I still don't like this attempt to totally automate things. I always used to get better results when a trusted friend would recommend someone and I could mention their name when I called. Sometimes the old fashioned way of doing things is still the best.

I canceled the hotel reservation I made in Cocoa Beach for the Artemis launch and now only have the other hotel I booked in Titusville. I wanted to do this before I forgot that I had made two different reservations. The more I think about it, the upcoming Falcon Heavy launch might be the better one to attend. The Falcon Heavy is supposed to launch at sunrise and will be a better photo opportunity than the midnight Artemis launch. Since I haven't been credentialed yet for the Falcon Heavy launch, this is all just idle speculation. I'm not even sure if I want to go to either launch. Scheduling these things is becoming way too complicated.

Hopefully the dryer will get fixed tomorrow and I can cross one more thing off my list. It's a long list though. There's always something that needs attention.

Pearl is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4688

It's always something. We had a huge wind storm last night and a big branch from one of our Oak trees fell on the roof. The branch is way too big for me to deal with myself, so I called the last tree trimmer I used. He never called me back. I thought I might as well try to deal with a few other issues as well, so I called the last carpenter I used to come repair some rotted fascia on the house. Oops. No longer a working number. I contacted another carpenter who had good reviews on the Internet and he said he was completely booked for the next four months. He advised me to contact a different carpenter but didn't recommend any. Oh, well. I am getting our dryer fixed though. I guess in today's world, one out of three isn't bad.

It was really windy on our sunrise walk with Dawn. I thought she wouldn't want to walk on a day like this, but she was fine with the wind. Actually it seemed to invigorate her. Janet was fine too. I was the only one worried that a tree was going to fall on us. At least the air felt clear and clean. The wind must have blown away all the pollen that has been aggravating my allergies.

The wind died down as I was eating breakfast and it was calm outside by the time I was ready to take my long walk. I didn't feel like going to the gym today. It was a bit chilly when I started walking but it warmed up quickly. I maintained a pretty good pace today and my feet didn't hurt much. I thought I'd see a lot of downed trees in the park during my six mile walk, especially since one fell on our roof during the night. Surprisingly, most of the trees looked exactly the same as they did last week. I only saw a single downed tree and the park department guys were already removing it. I wish I could get these guys to help with my trees. They are very efficient. 

My experiences with finding service people today has made me realize that I'm not ready for what the world has become. Over the years I've built up a carefully curated list of repair people I knew I could depend on. I had the best plumbers, electricians, carpenters, glaizers, HVAC repairmen, and much more on this list. The entire list is useless now. Everyone has retired, died, or simply disappeared. So far, using the Internet to find suppliers has not been a satisfactory replacement for the recommendations I used to get from friends. I refuse to use Angie's list. 

I'm having second thoughts about even going to the next Artemis launch attempt. It's disappointing that this next attempt is at midnight, so there won't be good photo opportunities. I'm not wild about the hotel I was able to book and the entire trip seems expensive and somewhat pointless. Since SpaceFlight Magazine has already published my article about the launch that got scrubbed, I'm not even sure they'd be interested in another article about the same rocket. I'm not canceling anything yet though. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today.

Tomorrow I've got to clean out the utility room again and wait for the appliance repairman. They always give you a four hour window and then end up coming at the end of the day. The repair needs to be done though. A washer without a dryer isn't of much use. I wonder when I'm going to be able to get my steps tomorrow? I've always got to get my steps.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4683

I got up early to take my car in for service this morning. They told me that if I was the first customer, I could wait while they did the work and I wouldn't have to leave the car for the day. The service appointment didn't take long because one of their machines broke and they couldn't do everything they'd planned. I did get an oil and filter change though and they turned off the annoying "service required" light on the dash. I was back home again before 9 AM.

I got an unpleasant surprise this morning when my hotel in Titusville called and told me that they had to cancel my reservation. What? Apparently they had a severe plumbing problem and an entire floor of the hotel had flooded. This left me in a bad situation. I'd made my reservations early to make sure I had a room for the next Artemis launch attempt. Now it was several weeks later and I had to scramble to find anything that wasn't already completely booked. All the convenient Airbnb's in the area were gone. I eventually found a hotel in Cocoa Beach, but it was a lot further away than I would have liked. Even worse, I will have to leave Dallas on launch day just to get a room. This won't really be a problem since the launch is at midnight but it is cutting things a little close. I kept looking and finally found another hotel that was closer to the space center but it was kind of run down. I booked this one too. I'll think about it for a few days and cancel one of the reservations. Since I'm leaving a day later now, I had to change my airline and rental car reservations as well. All this kind of makes me wonder why I do this. Attending a popular launch is so much trouble to arrange and it's all over in just a few minutes. It's amazing how quickly these rockets disappear in the sky.

Janet took Dawn on her sunrise walk while I was getting my car serviced, but I did get to take a walk in the park later in the day. I didn't do well today at all. My feet hurt for the entire walk and I was pretty slow. At least the weather was nice. It was a lot warmer than yesterday, but it was still a very pleasant Fall day. The walk itself was fairly boring, but not as boring as going to the gym.

It took me so long to find another hotel and reschedule everything that I didn't have much time for anything else today. I liked my original plan a lot better, but I guess this will have to do. I've always hated surprises and this was a big one. I'll still get to see the launch though, assuming that it doesn't get canceled or postponed again. I still can't decide whether to try to attend the upcoming Falcon Heavy launch as well. I haven't heard anything about my credentials yet, but this launch is happening pretty soon. Why are they waiting until the last minute to approve credentials? Oh, well. It is what it is. Realistically, it's too expensive for me to go to two launches so close together anyway, but I'll wait to make a final decision until I hear whether I've been accepted. 

Since my service appointment wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be, I can probably go ahead and get the dryer fixed this month. The machine still dries clothes just fine, but it's started making an ominous noise. I can't realistically ignore this much longer because the belt that turns the drum is starting to fail. The last time the appliance repairman was at the house I asked him how long the belt would last. "Maybe you've got a week. Maybe you've got a year," he told me. That wasn't much help at all.

It seems like it should be Saturday tomorrow, but we've still got another day to go. I've taken this weeks trash out to the curb and am still fretting about my change in travel plans. I hope tomorrow is a better day.

Emily is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4675

NASA has finally set a new date for the next Artemis launch attempt, so it's time to make travel arrangements again. I sure wish the process was a little easier. Hotel and airfare prices can differ drastically depending on which day you choose. Sometimes leaving or returning one day earlier or later can double the price of your ticket. Hotels are the same way. As it turned out it was cheaper to stay an extra day in Florida to get a lower airfare.

Since the launch is scheduled for a few minutes after midnight I initially scheduled my departure for the wrong day and had to reschedule everything a few hours later. Jeez. You'd think I'd know how to tell time by now. The Airbnb I like wasn't available, but I was able to book a room at the hotel I usually stay at. The rental car website wasn't working properly today, but I'm pretty sure my car is booked as well. I'll probably have to skip the Falcon Heavy launch at the end of October. These trips have become way too expensive and I can only afford one trip to the space center this Fall

Our day started as usual with a pre-dawn walk with Dawn. We left earlier this morning since Janet has a doctor's appointment. I'm getting used to walking in the dark now, but this won't last long. On November 6 we go back to Standard Time and we'll be walking in daylight again. I keep hearing that congress wants to make Daylight Saving Time permanent next year. Why? I'd rather make Standard Time permanent.

I had a hard time deciding whether to walk in the park or go to the gym today. It was a little too warm for my taste, but I didn't feel like driving. Eventually I decided to take my long walk in the park. The water department was digging up one of the streets in our neighborhood, so I had to take an alternate route to reach the path I usually take. The streets are a mess now. Several years ago the city used a cheap "spray on road" technique to re-pave several streets in the neighborhood and now the tar is leaking to the surface. You have to be careful where you walk because the stuff sticks on your shoes. I made pretty good time today, but by the time I returned I wished I'd gone to the gym instead. Considering how cool it was on our sunrise walk, it got hot outside very quickly. I shouldn't complain though. At least the little green web worms are gone now.

My chore for the day was removing the water that accumulates under the shower tiles. I need to get the shower re-tiled, but it is easier to remove the water every few weeks with a wet-dry vac. I tried to re-seal the tile once, but apparently it didn't work. Several quarts of water can accumulate between the tiles and the shower pan. When it reaches a certain level it starts leaking out the same cracks that let it in. Water is not my friend. I think most of the problems around the house have something to do with water.

Dawn did well at training class this evening. Janet said she is going to graduate to the advanced class next week. I'm surprised at how much Dawn seems to enjoy these classes because she is typically scared of everything. I'm glad Dawn has found something she enjoys. Now I need to do the same.

Kuuipo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4659

NASA finally decided to move Artemis back to the VAB, so I guess someone eventually realized that launching on October 2nd wasn't a good idea. Hurricane Ian is moving slower than expected, so what is left of the hurricane might still be in the area at the end of the month. 

As soon as the rollback to the VAB was announced this morning I canceled all my reservations. I wonder why so many companies are so eager to take your money as soon as you make a reservation? Rental car companies don't demand payment until you pick up the car, but airlines charge you immediately. So does Airbnb. Everyone would rather offer you a credit toward future travel than refund your money. I think I'll get a full refund for everything, but it will be several days before the money shows up in my account. If there is a silver lining to this mess, it is that I can now afford to take my car in for service. I don't think Artemis will be ready for another launch attempt until late November.

It was really pleasant on our sunrise walk with Dawn, but I could tell it was going to warm up quickly as soon as the rising sun hit my face. I guess I could have tried walking in the park right after breakfast, but I decided to go to the gym because Janet likes me out of the house when she is cleaning. It took a while to get my reservations sorted out and then I did a few small chores while I was waiting for the best time to leave. I swept the pecans from the neighbor's tree off the front porch and walkways and then pried the broken atrium door open so I could clean up the atrium. I still can't find anyone to fix the oversize sliding glass door. It may stay broken like this forever.

I stayed a little longer at the gym today and spent some extra time working with free weights. It's true what the say about muscle atrophy as you get older. It's really hard for me to build back any muscle at all in my arms. You'd think my legs would be really strong with all the walking I do, but they could use some work as well. I don't think I'll ever have to worry about getting fat, but I may have to worry about turning into a skeleton. I need to come up with a better way to build back muscle.

I watched the DART asteroid redirect mission on NASA TV while I was fixing dinner this evening. I didn't realize until recently that the DART acronym meant Double Asteroid Redirection Test. Artemis might be a dismal failure, but at least NASA can get some things right. It seemed amazing to me that the DART spacecraft could score a direct hit on the tiny Dimorphos asteroid orbiting the slightly larger Didymos when the pair is millions of miles from Earth.

When we returned from our sunrise walk this morning I discovered that I had tiny green worms or caterpillars in my hair. This was disgusting. I think these things are called cankerworms because you often find them in Oak trees, but this is the wrong time of year for them. They usually hatch in March or April. At any rate, I took a shower to make sure I got rid of the things. I was surprised at how many fell out of my hair.

With no trip on the agenda and waning interest in the star tracker, I'm not sure what to do next. It gets old if the high point in your day is a walk you've taken a thousand times before. Janet thinks I ought to do volunteer work like she does, but that's not for me. I kind of enjoyed being in demand as a website developer, but that's ancient history now. I guess I'd better start planning another trip.

Suki is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4658

No hurricanes in Texas, but we did get some thunderstorms this afternoon. As usual, the rain missed our house. It always does. We still had to use the sprinklers to water the grass this evening. It's a different story down in Florida. Everyone in the state seems to be preparing for the approaching storm except for the folks at NASA. The Artemis rocket is still sitting out on the pad. What are they waiting for? The odds of a sucessful launch on October 2nd are practically zero by now. My guess is that Artemis will be loaded on the crawler and will be headed back to the VAB sometime tomorrow. I haven't canceled my reservations yet, but I suspect that I will be doing that tomorrow as well.

I didn't have to cancel anything today. It was a regular Sunday that started with a Sunrise walk and ended with ice cream. Janet fixed a nice Sunday breakfast and then I headed for the mall for my Sunday morning walk. For some reason I wasn't allowed in the entrance I regularly use. I was told that this entrance was only for store managers now and that walkers needed to use a different entrance about a quarter of a mile away. Whatever. I came here to walk anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. I have no idea why Northpark has designated entrances now. It must make sense to somebody. Probably a group of very bureaucratic people sat around for weeks discussing the idea in staff meetings.

The store windows are already filled with heavy Winter clothes. Why? It never gets that cold in Texas. I think the mall gardeners must have bought every pumpkin in Dallas. There were massive displays of pumpkins artfully displayed throughout the mall. I've never seen pumpkins and gourds in so many different colors. I didn't even know that green pumpkins were a thing, but I certainly saw lots of them today. I shouldn't make fun of the elaborately decorated mall. It's always a very pleasant place to get my steps.

I though it would be too hot to take a walk on Dawn's Sunday outing, but the skies were overcast and there was a breeze, so we gave it a try. We made a one mile loop around Dawn's Sunday park and then we headed for the ice cream store. I think Dawn was a little tired, but not as tired as I was. I don't do well walking off pavement anymore. My feet hurt and my balance isn't as good as it used to be. Dawn loves all the new smells though, and it is her day.

I was really surprised to hear thunder this afternoon. I wasn't expecting rain since the weather forecast showed nothing but clear skies for the next week. Actually we didn't get any rain in our neighborhood but it was all around us. I'm glad we were able to take Dawn on her Sunday outing while it was still nice outside. 

When I'm busy in the morning there is often nothing to do in the afternoon. I spent an inordinate amount of time searching for information about the Artemis team's plans for the hurricane. Nothing. Probably putting out press releases is the least of their worries now. I heard somebody wonder what happens if the crawler breaks down on the way back to the VAB tomorrow and is stuck outside when the hurricane arrives The crawler is over 50 years old and every time they move Artemis several of the treads fall off the tracks. It's hard to predict what is going to happen next. The hurricane isn't going away though. This weekend I was putting on some sandals and got stung by a bee that was inside the sandals. I certainly wasn't expecting that. I wish NASA luck. They're probably going to need it.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4657

I canceled all my reservations for the 27th and made new reservations for October 2nd. Will Artemis actually launch on the 2nd? I kind of doubt it. There's a good chance it will roll back to the VAB tomorrow and sit there for weeks. It doesn't hurt to be optimistic though. I can always cancel the reservations if Artemis has to return to the VAB. One good thing about the October 2nd date is that my favorite Airbnb is available again. I can't imagine leaving Artemis out on the pad with a hurricane approaching but stranger things have happened. NASA really wants to launch this thing. It will be interesting to see what takes place tomorrow.

The park was busy this morning. This always happens on a weekend. We have to stay alert so Dawn doesn't get run over by bicycles. The weather was nice and Dawn enjoyed her walk. We got a later start this morning and the sun was already up. You could tell that it was going to warm up quickly. It felt like it would make more sense to go to the gym today.

I got a late start on my grocery shopping because I needed to change all my reservations as soon as I heard that the launch attempt on the 27th had been canceled. I've finally learned to act fast whenever there is a schedule change. Every other journalist covering the launch was probably doing exactly the same thing this morning.

With my reservations in order again I went to get groceries. The stores were crowded, but this was probably just because I got a late start today. I'm sure they're like this every week. I filled my tank on the way back from the store. Gas is less expensive now. The decrease in gas prices wasn't enough to offset the increase in food prices unfortunately. Food prices keep going up.

The gym was almost empty today. I did my normal routine and came home. I should probably try a little harder to improve myself when I'm at the gym. I just do the same things over and over again. On many days I don't even work up a sweat or elevate my heart rate much. I do get my steps though, and I guess that is the whole point for me.

My task for the afternoon was defrosting the little refrigerator. We got this refrigerator after a power outage years ago. It's small enough that it can be easily powered by our generator. It's weird that this simple little dorm room refrigerator seems essential now. We use it every day.

Tomorrow I'll probably go mall walking again and then we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. Since the weather is getting cooler now, we might be able to take a real walk. If not, there's always ice cream.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day