Day 4499

It was a very busy day. Since our monthly bulky trash pickup is tomorrow, I thought I'd try to remove the remaining leaves from our side yard. There were a ton of leaves and I eventually bagged up most of them and took the bags out to the curb. I should have done this weeks ago, but at least I got it done. Hopefully it will be easier now to get the mower out to the front yard now when it's time to mow.

I got a message from FedEx this morning saying that my camera part from China had been delivered. I went outside to get the package, but there was nothing. I looked everywhere. The FedEx curse had struck again. This package was supposed to arrive by FedEx Express, so I thought they might be a little better than FedEx Ground. Nope. Same terrible service. 

I called the lady at the local Fedex Ground terminal who had helped me find my lost star tracker and asked if she knew anyone locally at FedEx Express who could help me find out what had happened. She didn't know anyone, but was able to look up a local number for me. When I called the number, someone was able to determine what truck my package was on and called the driver. An hour later I got a call back saying that the driver had left the package at my neighbor's house by mistake. Sure enough, that's where the package was, right by the front door. I was nervous to go inside the gate and get the package because this was the same house where the dog bit me years ago. I made sure that the dog was not outside and then quickly retrieved the small package. All is well now, but I still think FedEx could do better.

It's too late to change my mind about going to the observatory now. I'm starting to get work assignments. I need to forget the long drive and remember how much I've enjoyed my trips to the observatory in the past. I've made this trip four time before. Surely I can do it one more time. I kind of feel the same way about the trip to West Texas as I do about my daily walks. The walks are not always fun, but the alternative is even worse. I'm not ready to give up and do nothing. I'll continue trying to keep my mind and body active for as long as I can. There's nothing fancy about this. You've just got to keep moving.

I did pretty well at keeping moving today. In addition to all the exercise I got raking and bagging leaves, I also took an even longer walk than usual. I joined Dawn and Janet on their afternoon walk and then just kept walking. 25,000 steps today. I don't think that this is an all time record, but it's pretty close. My feet hurt, but not nearly as bad as I expected. 

On the way home I passed a guy who has been taking care of one of my neighbor's yards for years. He's a nice guy that I've known for a long time and I asked him if he'd be interested in adding another yard to his lawn care business. I was a bit surprised when he said that he'd be happy to take care of my yard. He said he could go up on the roof and remove the standing water from time to time as well. Maybe it's time to make this transition. When I mowed last week I could tell that my mowing days were numbered.

My new Hoka boots have arrived and I can pick them up at the store tomorrow on my way to get a haircut. Today was good. The weather was nice and it felt like I was making progress. There needs to be more days like this.

Marley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4386

I finally got my package. It was 16 days late, but who's counting. The box looked a little worse for wear, but the contents didn't appear to be damaged. Truthfully, I never expected to see this thing. The package arrived in Texas on December 11 and has been bouncing around the Fedex system ever since. I don't think I ever would have found my shipment if an offshore call center employee hadn't eventually taken pity on me and gave me the private number of the local Fedex distribution center. I learned a few things during this never ending search. There are still a few good people in this world, but there probably aren't any good global corporations. I got nowhere until I was finally able to talk with a real person who had the ability to walk out to the loading dock and physically look for the package. Fedex did everything it could to keep me from talking to these people. The call center employees I did talk with with were just looking at numbers on a computer screen. 

The lady who handed me the package today said it would probably take all day to explain what had actually happened. She wasn't really sure herself. She did hand me a piece of paper though that showed the package had been scanned forty two times since entering the Fedex system. This thing had been everywhere except where is was actually supposed to go. 

I still think it is ironic that Fedex stock actually went up while I was looking for my lost package. The investment community apparently likes the fact that the company is investing heavily in artificial intelligence software. It was this same software that was causing all my problems. Nobody was actually looking for my package for a very long time. They were just depending on the software to get it to the right place. Eventually someone discovered that the bar code on my package had gotten damaged and wasn't giving the right results. I probably never should have requested to have my package held at a Fedex Office facility either. This particular facility had huge amounts of outgoing traffic and very little incoming. I think my package actually was delivered to this location at some point, but it just got lost in the Christmas rush and was returned to the distribution center. I don't know why I was in such a hurry to get this little star tracker. Light pollution is so bad in Dallas that I probably won't be able to use it until I get a chance to go back to McDonald Observatory again.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I did a lot of walking and had another 24,000 step day. I don't think the long walks really prove anything. They take my mind off the worries of the world though. If my feet didn't hurt, I would probably walk a lot further. I was surprised when I noticed that all the Pelicans had disappeared today. Where did they go? There are hundreds of White Pelicans that spend the Winter on our lake, but they were nowhere to be found. One more animal mystery. 

Someone in one of the astrophotography groups I subscribe to wanted to start a discussion about self defense and personal safety. A lot of people got angry and told the guy that this was off topic because this was a group about astronomy. A lively back and forth ensued and I was a bit surprised to learn that I wasn't the only one who didn't feel safe taking a telescope outside at night in a city. Several people in other countries said that their equipment would immediately be stolen if they tried to set it up in a public park. It's a shame we've come to this. We really aren't that far away from Mad Max at Thunderdome.

The year is swiftly drawing to a close. I really hope that next year will be an improvement. Even a small improvement would be welcome. Any way you look at it, 2020 and 2021 sucked.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4385

I wasn't expecting it to be cold and foggy this morning since yesterday was the hottest Christmas on record. The weather has been hard to predict lately. Every day is something new. The dense fog didn't last long, but it was very pretty. Since it was Sunday, I did a lot of walking again. After our early foggy walk with Dawn, I ate breakfast and then hit the trails again. I tried to use Voltaren today to ease the inevitable foot pain, but it didn't seem to work very well. I'm not sure that any of these over the counter pain remedies actually do anything.

The weather warmed up rapidly today. It wasn't as hot as yesterday, but the only time I needed a jacket was on our early walk with Dawn. There were still plenty of people in the park. Kids must have not wanted scooters for Christmas this year, because I didn't see any. On the day after Christmas in previous year you'd see lots of new kids scooters in the park. I did see several guys trying out their new drones. You can always tell when someone has just gotten a drone because they crash them a lot. 

When I returned from my long walk, I could tell that Dawn was ready to go on her outing. She's got a good sense of time and she thought I was late. We almost immediately got in the car and headed for Dawn's Sunday park. Dawn gets so excited to go on her outing, but as soon as she gets in the car, she becomes apprehensive again. It's a good thing that it isn't a long drive. We all had a very nice walk even though the ground was damp and our shoes got wet. I really need to buy some of the waterproof Hoka hiking boots because I'm getting tired of wet feet.

We always enjoy getting ice cream on the way home. The ice cream place still has a help wanted sign out front. Actually every restaurant in town has a help wanted sign out front. I can understand why restaurant jobs might not seem as desirable anymore, but why is there a shortage of truck drivers? A lot of truck driving jobs pay very well. The work ethic that my parents had just isn't there any more. I certainly have no desire to return to the work force, even though I could probably get a shitty job tomorrow since everyone is short on staff. Maybe that's the point. Nobody wants a terrible job anymore and most low level jobs are still terrible.

After we returned from Dawn's outing, my feet were telling me that they'd had enough for today. I've become hooked on getting 20,000 steps a day, so after a short rest, I went out again. For my last walk of the day I've been choosing an old path I used to use a lot when I walked Dot and Dash. I used to have specific things I looked for on this path that I used as memory builders. It became a game for me to find every single item on my list. I've started doing this again, but my mind seems to wander. The game is much harder ten years later.

We had leftover Christmas dinner tonight. It was just as good as it was yesterday. It's hard to cook a small Christmas dinner, so it looks like we will be eating very well this week. I'm a bit apprehensive about tomorrow. I guess I'm optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. The last time I talked with someone at the local Fedex distribution center on Friday, he practically promised me that my missing package would be located and ready for me to pick up on Monday. These people have been wrong so many times before though. I guess it doesn't hurt to remain optimistic until I makes that initial phone call right after breakfast tomorrow morning. 

I'm not sure if we'll be visiting Charlie and Oliver at the kennel tomorrow. The Christmas rush might not be over yet, since some people board their dogs while they are away between Christmas and New Years. One way or another, it should be an interesting day.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4382

Thanks for nothing Fedex. My package still hasn't been delivered. When I didn't receive a message this morning saying that the package was on the truck for delivery, I called Fedex again to see what was going on. Jeez. Just yesterday the Fedex guy who called me promised that the lost package had been found and that it would be delivered to me today. The representative I talked to today told me that yes, the package had been found, but that it was still in Oklahoma City. The agent I talked with yesterday had been overly optimistic about getting it the rest of the way to Dallas. 

What? How could this even be possible? Contrary to what every other Fedex customer service representative has been telling me for the past two weeks, my package apparently never even reached Dallas. This seemed hard to believe, especially since I've been hearing stories about exactly where the package was for over a week. Apparently, everything I've been seeing on my Fedex account was a lie. The lady I talked with today said that Fedex doesn't even bother with scanning individual packages while they are in route. All packages headed to the same destination are put in a large container together and only the container is scanned. If your package wound up in the wrong container for some reason, all the subsequent information generated by the system would be wrong.

This far fetched story may be true or it may be one more in a long list of fabrications created by people who know nothing more than what they are seeing on their computer screen. All I know is that the last time I looked at my Fedex account all references to the delivery date had been erased and it just said "Delayed, no delivery scheduled." This is beyond frustrating. It is madness. I'm beginning to think that the only people who work for Fedex are drivers, people with bar code scanners, and offshore customer service agents who just make up answers to customer questions. Absolutely nobody seems to know what is really going on.

I didn't get my package today, but I did get my tooth filled. I knew I was in for trouble when I overheard the dentist tell his assistant, "Hmm, this cavity is interesting. It's not what I expected." Thats when I knew my bill was going to be higher than expected as well. I sat in the chair for a long time and although I couldn't see what the dentist was doing, it felt like I was getting three fillings instead of one. When the dentist was finished, he told me that the cavity was much deeper than it looked on the x-ray. The cavity traveled all the way down the root almost to the bone. "So, I guess if you hadn't caught this now, I would have had to have a root canal," I said to the dentist. "No," he replied, "you would have had to have an implant." The dentist assured me that the tooth was stable now, but my mouth still hurts for some reason. I've had enough dental problems for one year. 

Even though my trip to the dentist and an extended conversation with the Fedex agent took a lot of time, I still managed to get a lot of walking in. Dawn got her sunrise walk. I took another short walk after breakfast, and then two more walks after I returned from the dentist. It wasn't my best day, but I did get 20,000 steps. The temperature was pretty warm today. I was able to wear shorts on both of my afternoon walks.

The traffic was terrible today. I thought everyone would be on their way to grandma's house by now but apparently not. My drive to the dentist's office took almost twice as long as it usually does. Hopefully things will be a little calmer tomorrow. I'm going to do my grocery shopping on Friday, since Saturday is Christmas Day. I don't expect to see my package tomorrow and I can't imagine that it will arrive on Christmas Day. Was today's Fedex customer service story true or just another fabrication? I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4380 - Winter Solstice

Today is the shortest day of the year. I can't wait for the days to get longer again. I've never been a fan of Winter, so I'll look forward to getting a little more daylight each day, even though there are many cold mornings yet to come. It was near freezing again this morning but the sky was clear and the temperature warmed up rapidly. I wore two coats on our sunrise walk, was able to shed one of these coats when I took my long walk after breakfast, and when when we took Dawn on her second walk later in the afternoon, I only need a very light jacket. A second walk for Dawn has been added to our daily routine on days when Janet is home. Dawn definitely enjoys the extra activity. For an older dog, she has a lot more energy than we initially thought.

My Fedex package has still not been delivered. Absolutely nothing happened today. The package still appears to be sitting at a distribution warehouse in a nearby town. I tried without any success to contact the Fedex case manager investigating my misplaced package and got nowhere. These people are supposed to contact you within 24 hours, but it's been five days now. I would drive over to the distribution center myself and pick up the package if I could, but these facilities are off limits. I have been told several times that I would not be allowed inside. It's all very frustrating. The only good news is that I have finally been able to contact the Chinese manufacturer and they are going to investigate the lost shipment from their end.

I really need to find something to do other than walking and obsessing over lost packages. These days are getting really monotonous. Unfortunately there just isn't much that interests me at the moment. I don't really feel like I'm a part of the space community since my trips to Kennedy Space Center are so infrequent. I envy the local Florida space photographers who seem to be on site almost every single week. I'm not really part of an astronomy community either. I still like to volunteer at McDonald Observatory, but it is a long and tiring drive to West Texas and the observatory only needs me about once a year. There are local astronomy clubs in the area, but I have become reluctant to drive at night. Almost every single day I read about someone randomly getting shot on a Dallas freeway. It is not a good time to be driving around very late at night.

It's too bad I don't enjoy watching TV more. There are more movies available for streaming than I could watch in a lifetime. Unfortunately, very few of them have any interest to me. I did notice that Season Six of The Expanse has started. The first two episodes are already available on Amazon Prime. Even this simple pleasure seems difficult. For some inexplicable reason Amazon Prime movies won't run if you are using Safari. You keep getting an "incompatible plug in" message. I was finally able to access the new season by using Firefox, but quickly discovered that my computer couldn't keep up with the high resolution stream. I eventually discovered how to lower the data transfer rate, but by then it was time for dinner. Oh, well. At least I"ll have something to do tomorrow.

I have to remind myself not to join the fray and start arguing about politics on the blog. It's tempting, but just because everyone else is doing this doesn't mean it is right for me. I do have opinions but I don't think I'm going to be able to convince you to change yours. We have all dug in our heels. I've never seen the country so divided. Sadly, I don't realistically see us coming together on anything important in my lifetime. I find myself increasingly nostalgic about my childhood. The period of time between the end of World War II and the beginning of the Vietnam Way was pretty darn good.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4379

It was raining when we woke up this morning, so we had to wait to walk Dawn. Janet went to the gym. I started the pumps on the roof, did a load of laundry and ate breakfast. Eventually the rain stopped and we resumed our regular schedule.

When I checked my Fedex account this morning I saw a note that the barcode on my package was unreadable and a new shipping label had been applied. Jeez. It took them a week and a half to discover this? Maybe they just wore the original barcode out by scanning the package so many times. Apparently Fedex only does one thing each day because there has still been no delivery scheduled. I didn't bother to call again. I have nothing left to say.

When the rain stopped we took Dawn on her morning walk. After she completed her one mile loop, Dawn and Janet returned to the house and I continued walking. This was a terrible day for foot pain. I still don't know what makes things so different from one day to the next. I probably should have cut today's walk short, but I finished my entire route. This might have been my slowest day ever. I keep walking because I don't know if the foot pain is ever going away and I'm not ready to be housebound yet.

Janet got some special Christmas cookies for Charlie and Oliver when we went to visit the kennel today. The dogs were glad to see us and we played until each dog got tired. Nobody wanted to go outside in the yard because it was still very cold. This will be the last time we get to see Charlie and Oliver until the holidays are over. Holiday travelers will start boarding their dogs soon and we would just be in the way. I thought we might meet the two new puppies that entered the rescue program recently but they are still at the vet.

Yesterday I had to figure out why U-verse wasn't connecting to the new TV. Today I had to figure out why my new Fitbit was draining my iPhone battery. As is typically the case with these type of problems, I found a lot of people online who were experiencing the same battery drain frustration. I was able to slow down the battery drain by turning off background app refresh on my phone but then I discovered that the Fitbit wouldn't sync anymore. This is still a work in progress. It's too bad that I am hooked on steps and tracking stats. Today the Fitbit was just a giant nuisance.

The dehumidifiers have prevented moisture forming on the windows in the Winter, but the house still gets cold. My office is always the coldest room in the house since it is the most distant from the furnace. I've had to break out the little ceramic heater again to keep warm while I'm at the computer. I still spend a lot of time at the computer because old habits are hard to break. I'm not sure what else I'd do around the house anyway. At least our current cold wave will be a short one. I think temperatures will be up in the 80's again by Christmas Eve.

I have a dental appointment on Thursday and then I'm done with medical visits for the foreseeable future. I hope I'm not done with everything. The NASA folks have been strangely silent lately and I haven't heard from my friends at the observatory either. Janet keeps wondering when I'm going back to the space center but I just don't know. Until something develops, I'll keep walking every day and looking for my lost package.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4378

24,000 steps today. My feet hurt, but it was a good day to walk. It was very cold this morning, but I have lots of warm coats. On our sunrise walk with Dawn this morning I wore two coats for the first time this season. The double layer of down jackets keeps me warm in almost any type of weather. I used to wear my heavy vintage Eddie Bauer parka on days like these, but these two lightweaght jackets work much better. I wear a snug very lightweight jacket under a looser outer jacket and am never cold. If it's really a chilly day, I'll put on a sweater and wear long underwear as well. The only thing I need now are warmer shoes. The Hoka shoes really help with foot pain, but they aren't built for warmth.

One of the birders at Sunset Bay told me that I'd have a better chance of seeing the eagles if I came in the afternoon. This guy is pretty dedicated. He's out there with his long telephoto lens every single day. I don't think capturing a good photo of an eagle matters that much to me. I've gotten a lot of nice bird pictures over the years. I'm not a birder though. I'm often not even sure what type of bird I photographed until I look it up on Google later. I'm sure I'll see the eagles again at some point, but I probably won't have my camera with me. 

We did end up taking Dawn on her Sunday outing today. There was no reason not to go, especially since Dawn loves the cold. Janet uses this Sunday walk to work on Dawn's training exercises. This is a good thing for me, since I could never keep up with these two otherwise. After our walk, we went for ice cream cones. The ice cream seemed extra cold today, but it was good. It's always funny to watch Dawn eat ice cream. This dog definitely has issues, but she can be very funny.

I can see on my Fedex account that my package has moved to a new warehouse. There was still no attempt at delivery though. Unfortunately the Mesquite warehouse where the package is now has an even worse reputation than the Hutchins warehouse where it was yesterday. I still don't know what is going on, but I don't expect to see this package before Christmas. If some of the comments I'm reading from other customers are true, I may never see it at all. At least I have finally been able to contact the manufacturer and let them know what is going on. Communication is difficult because I think some of the e-mail from the Chinese manufacturer is being intercepted by my hosting company's spam filters. Most people have two layers of spam protection these says. You never even see the spam and malicious mail that your web host or e-mail provider intercepts. Spam still gets through though and the e-mail reader on your computer or phone provides a second layer of protection. With all these filters in place only about a dozen spam messages a day wind up in my in box. Without the spam filters I would be wading through hundreds of spam messages every day.

Our cable set-top box went out today. This used to happen a lot, but service has been fairly reliable for the past year, so I forgot how to reset everything. The U-verse box doesn't interact with our new TV the same way it did with our old TV either. I spent most of my non walking time today trying to bring the U-verse signal back to life.  Eventually I succeeded and I didn't even have to call AT&T. I'm pretty good at solving technical problems. Not so good at anything else lately.

We'll probably visit the rescue Dalmatians again tomorrow. We'll call first and make sure the holiday boarding traffic hasn't started yet. When the kennel fills up, there is no room to play with the Charlie and Oliver. It's hard to believe that Christmas is actually next weekend. I'm not feeling the Christmas spirit yet. Of course that's nothing new. I rarely have any Christmas spirit. I still think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4377

The temperature keeps bouncing back and forth between Winter and Summer. Today it felt a lot like Winter. We took Dawn on a chilly sunrise walk, came home and ate a hearty breakfast, and then I did my grocery shopping. The traffic seems to get worse every time I leave the house. I don't know where all these new people are coming from, but it appears they are here to stay. Parking lots are even more hazardous than roads at this time of year. Cars are always racing around looking for that last available parking spot. I almost got hit while I was at the grocery store this morning.

I finally saw one of the new Broncos on my shopping run this morning. I was kind of disappointed. After all I've read about this new 4x4, I was expecting something amazing. This particular Bronco looked pretty ordinary to me. The new Land Rover Defender looks a lot better to my eye, but of course it's more expensive too. Bronco vs Defender certainly isn't something I need to fret about at the moment. I'm not planning on a new car any time soon.

I didn't even bother to call Fedex today. What's the point. It's pretty clear by now that my calls are not accomplishing anything. Maybe I'll eventually get the package. Maybe I won't. There's a support group for the Polaris Astro Edition on Facebook and I've noticed that I'm not the only one with delivery problems. Several other Kickstarter backers currently have their shipments in Fedex limbo as well. It is apparently not uncommon to see delays of ten days or more. Delivery problems are becoming national news, so I suspect that it is not just me or this particular product. If your Christmas gifts are being delivered by Fedex, there's a good chance they might arrive late. I do wish that Benro hadn't decided to launch their highly anticipated automated tripod head during the Christmas rush. That's just asking for trouble.

It's hard to believe that I wore shorts on my long walk yesterday. Today I needed a down jacket and a wool hat. The wind was blowing so hard near the lake that I felt chilly even though I dressed warmly. I shouldn't complain though. Our weather still seems a lot better than the rest of the country. The severe storms all seem to be to the East of us. I hope we have a mild winter. I don't look forward to snow at all. Snow is just a nuisance when you live down South. Nobody knows how to drive in the snow and most houses aren't insulated well.

I wish I could get excited about something. I've been away from the observatory too long and my interest in astronomy is starting to fade. I didn't even try to look for Comet Leonard this month. Even though the launch schedule is picking up at Kennedy Space Center again, I don't have any trips planned. It's complicated and expensive to follow launches. I'm not sure if my NASA contacts even remember me anymore. Maybe I should have picked an easier activity. The birders at the lake looking for the eagles look happy enough. So do the people at my gym for that matter. We'll see what happens next year. Maybe all it will take is one good launch to get me excited again. 

I guess we'll still take Dawn on her Sunday outing tomorrow. It's going to be very cold, but Dawn doesn't seem to mind the cold. She has a lot more energy than I do on days like these. I'm not so sure about the ice cream though. A cup of hot chocolate sounds a little better right now. 

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4376

I give up. When I called FedEx this morning they basically just told me to get fucked and then hung up on me. The call center person I talked to was nice enough. It wasn't her fault that she had to explain that the company was overwhelmed with Christmas deliveries, was understaffed, and was having a terrible problem finding drivers. When I asked why my package had been sitting in a sorting warehouse for almost a week with no attempts at delivery the sad answer was that it wasn't a priority. Everybody wants their packages delivered before Christmas and with limited drivers available, the company's big corporate customers were the squeaky wheels that get greased. My package simply wasn't important enough to get on the available trucks. I am still unable to talk to anyone locally and I don't think I will receive my package until after Christmas. At this point I don't know if I will ever receive it.

The irony of all this is that I listened to a story on one of the business channels I watch to while eating breakfast that FedEx stock went up today on news that the company was investing heavily in automation to become even more profitable. This doesn't help me. It was one of their fancy new automated systems that screwed up my delivery in the first place by erroneously generating a "your package has been delivered" message when no attempt at delivery was actually made. Now I've got to sort this out with the Chinese manufacturer who somehow received the automated message that my package has already been delivered. There are language barriers involved and it's been difficult to explain to them that the message was just a mistake. FedEx openly admits that the message was a mistake but they say it's my responsibility to alert the shipper. They apparently don't have the time to bother with this little detail. The just want me to go away and instruct their call center representatives to just hang up on me if I take too much of their time. I think this interval must be about ten minutes because I've been hung up on at least three times now after talking for about ten minutes.

The temperature was very warm today and it gave me an opportunity to just keep walking. I took four different walks today and managed to rack up 23,000 steps. My feet hurt but walking helps me keep my mind off my current frustrations. It was supposed to rain this morning, but the rain never arrived. I think it just got delayed because it is now supposed to start raining later this evening. Dawn seems to enjoy getting several walks a day. Two of today's walks were with Dawn and Janet and the other two were by myself. I'm walking so much lately that I'm starting to feel like Forest Gump. For me, walking is the most relaxing way to get the exercise I need. I just wish there was a good solution for my painful feet.

The park is a beehive of activity now with all the trail improvements going on. The construction crews seem much more efficient than the ones I witnessed during the last cycle of trail improvements about ten years ago. I kind of wish they would just leave these trails alone though. When the new superhighway trails are completed, there will be many more bicycles, making it much harder to walk your dog. All cyclists seem to be Type A personalities who don't want to slow down or stop for anyone. Sometimes you don't hear these guys coming and it can be dangerous if your dog suddenly decides to dart to the other side of the trail to investigate a new smell while one of these silent bikes is approaching.

It looks like I will have to take a mandatory IRA distribution again this year. I wish the government would have extended last years Covid exemption on distributions for one more year. These distributions always foul things up for me at tax time. They don't really seem fair either. I feel like I have already paid taxes on this money when I earned it many, many years ago. I've had it explained to me several times that I haven't actually paid taxes on my IRA contributions yet, but it still doesn't make sense. I'm tired of paying taxes to pay for programs I don't agree with. There is a long, and growing list of those.

Time to make a grocery list again. How do these weeks go by so fast? It will be Christmas before you know it. Janet is making a Crown Roast for Christmas dinner. That will be something to look forward to even if I don't get my package.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4375

It's feeling like Ground Hog Day again. Every day the same frustrations occur over and over. My feet continue to hurt despite wearing the special shoes that the orthopedic surgeon recommended. My FedEx package remains lost despite calling them twice a day and begging for additional information. I keep walking longer and longer, mostly because it keeps me from thinking about all the aspects of modern life that irritate the hell out of me. Just about everything we as a society are currently doing is wrong. It just seems weird that so many people see things differently than me. In my heart I know I'm right.

I don't know what I am going to do about my FedEx package. The company really doesn't seem to care about their customers. Instead of trying to improve service, they seem to have put all their efforts into insulating themselves from customers. I'm actually impressed at how clever they've been at preventing me from finding out the status of this package that I know is sitting in a warehouse less than twenty miles from where I live. It is impossible to talk to anyone in the warehouse or even to a supervisor. You always get routed to an offshore call center where contract workers are employed to be friendly without really telling you anything. I'm starting to suspect that they dropped and broke my star tracker. I'm starting to get asked about what's inside the package. Today I was told that if the package didn't arrive within three or four days from now, I should ask the shipper to file a claim for damages so they could be compensated for the lost package. "But the package isn't lost," I reminded the call center agent. "I can tell from looking at the tracking history on my FedEx account that it's sitting in your Hutchins warehouse." "You scanned this package again this morning," I added. None of this gets me anywhere, because the call center representatives are forbidden from transferring my call to someone local who might actually know what is going on.

I feel like FedEx has stumbled onto a fiendishly clever plan to drive me crazy. I've always cared more about objects and gear than people. I want this star tracker. I've been waiting for it since last March. Maybe there is a holiday rush for delivery services. Maybe the driver had a bad day. Maybe the warehouse facility is understaffed. I still keep thinking that this should be a no brainer. The package initially didn't get delivered for some reason. It should have been redelivered the next day unless something is going on that they aren't telling me. I have many reasons to be suspicious.

I'm in such a bad mood that I don't even feel like going to rocket launches or out to the observatory anymore. My feet and shoulder hurt so much that I'm not even sure I could make the long drive to West Texas. It wasn't a pleasant drive even when I was feeling better last year. Florida is a different story. SpaceFlight Magazine seems to be under new management and they don't appear quite as interested in me these days. Hotel and rental car rates continue to increase as well. People are traveling again and flight are often full. It's a mess. I think I liked traveling more when the world was completely locked down.

The weather has been just as weird as everything else this Winter. One day it is 70 degrees and the next day it is freezing. The changes from day to day can be dramatic. Today was quite warm. I was able to take my long walk wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Just a few days ago I was wearing a down jacket. This inconsistency certainly isn't helping my overall mood. I don't mind having four seasons, but the seasons need to behave. Winter should be cold. Summer should be hot. And Spring and Fall should be nice. So far, we seem to be packing Winter, Summer, Spring, and Fall into a single month.

It's been a long day, but I've finished my dinner and taken this week's trash out to the curb. I'll probably just have shredded wheat for breakfast again even though I've been planning to resume my Friday restaurant breakfasts for weeks now. I'm really proud of Dawn. She seems to be doing a better job of adjusting to her new life than I am.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4374

My FedEx package still hasn't arrived. Actually I think it is even more lost than it was yesterday. After I initiated a trace on the package, I received a message saying that duplicate tracking numbers had been found. One of the identical numbers appeared to originate from Oregon and the other from New Jersey. I was asked which of these numbers was correct. How would I know? I have called Fedex for help numerous times but the only people I am able to talk to are contract call center workers based in another country. They don't know any more than I do. I tried to contact the distribution warehouse myself and eventually found their website. It was filled with a seemingly endless list of one star reviews written by people who were experiencing the same shabby treatment that I'm getting. One person had discovered an unlisted direct line to the warehouse and posted it on the site. When I called the number, nobody answered. FedEx used to be good. Now, it appears that nobody cares. Packages are lost routinely and drivers just make up excuses why they weren't able to make a delivery. I'm not sure if I will ever get my package.

I'm continuing to walk even though my feet are starting to hurt again. Foot pain was pretty bad today even though I'm wearing my newest pair of Hoka shoes. I know I walk a lot, but these shoes should definitely last more than six months. At least it was a nice day for walking. The temperature really varies a lot from day to day. Yesterday was cold. Today was so warm that I didn't even need to wear a jacket. I actually think I made good time today, but I forgot to wear my Fitbit. I hate when that happens. Now I don't get any credit for two hours of exercise.

The photo backdrop we used for the Santa Paws events finally got washed today. Now that it is clean, I'll take it back to the storage warehouse and probably forget where it is when I we need it again next year. It is hard to believe that Christmas is so close. Where has this year gone? We still haven't decided what to have for Christmas dinner. Last year we had a crown roast. The year before we had a smoked ham. Often we go out to eat on holidays, but Christmas Day isn't a good time to go to a restaurant. 

It looks like Dalmatian Rescue is getting two five month old puppies. I don't know if these dogs will be at the kennel next Monday, but it will be fun to meet them when they arrive. We haven't had any puppies in the program for a long time. I guess Oliver is still a young dog, but he is definitely not a puppy.

I don't know why the missing FedEx package bothers me so much. My life isn't going to change much even if I never receive the package. I guess I just hate when things are out of my control. I feel totally powerless to resolve this situation. I've called again and again and nobody seems to care. The entire company seems to be run by a bar code reader. Once something is scanned and in the system the scan becomes the reality. If your own eyes are telling you something different it just doesn't matter. Even today, someone on the phone told me that the package was at the FedEx Print Center and ready to pick up. Umm. No it isn't. I've already been to this store twice and called them again this morning. They are getting tired of hearing from me too.

I finally got a lead on a good contractor from someone I trust. Hopefully we can start fixing a few things around the house soon. Of course "soon" for a busy contractor might mean three to six months from now. Hey, at least I've moved the ball forward a few inches. 

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4373

FedEx is driving me crazy. I've been waiting for an important package since Saturday. After several delays the package was finally supposed to be delivered today. At 7:05 PM I received two simultaneous messages. One said "operational delay, no delivery attempted." The other said "package delivered, signature on file." Which message was true? The FedEx facility that was supposed to hold the package for me said it never received anything and when I attempted to look for the signature on file, it wasn't there either. It is impossible to get any help. You just get referred to a call center in the Philippines or Malaysia somewhere. I put a trace on the package. We'll see what happens. I really wish the shipper had used UPS or DHL instead.

I may never receive my star tracker, but I did receive a clean bill of health from my dermatologist. He froze a few little patches of keratosis on the top of my head with liquid nitrogen but that was about it. I have to see this guy at least once a year because actinic keratosis is considered pre-cancerous and needs to be monitored. So far, so good, but I'll have to see the dermatologist again in six months. The doctor is a nice guy but his office is relentless about sending out surveys. Enough with all the surveys. Even the people at FedEx who lost my package tonight wanted me to fill out a survey.

It must have rained last night. When we woke up this morning the ground was all wet. It must have been a gentle rain because I never heard anything even though I'm a light sleeper. Now theres's water on the roof again and I don't feel up to climbing up there and sweeping it away yet. No roof leaks so far, so knock on wood. Rain and water on the roof just adds to my frustration. Dawn doesn't like the rain either, but we finally got her to take her morning walk. Once we got in the park she seemed happy again. Rain seems to enhance all the smells she likes.

Today's FedEx mishaps just adds to my belief that the world is broken. Nothing works smoothly anymore. Traffic is terrible. Stores aren't stocked well anymore. Prices have gone up dramatically. It's not just food either. Everything is more expensive. People seem angrier too. None of this is good. I don't think young people realize how much better life was in the 1950's. You didn't have iPhones or the Internet, but you didn't need to lock your doors at night either. Cars looked interesting in the 1950's and houses were still built with high quality lumber. I'd go back if I could. I'm not all that impressed with artificial intelligence and social media influencers.

I wonder if I'll hear from FedEx tomorrow. They've already made it pretty clear that they are tired of hearing from me. I"m afraid the package might get sent back to Hong Kong is it is misplaced too long. Hopefully I will eventually get the computerized star tracker I've been waiting for all Summer. I read a news story recently about a FedEx driver in Alabama who dumped hundreds of packages in a ravine because he just didn't feel like delivering them. I hope my driver is a happy man who loves his job. Maybe this was just an honest mistake.

I still haven't washed the backdrop from our Santa Paws photo shoot. This is probably a good project for tomorrow. Tomorrow is my Blogiversary too. Can you believe I've been doing this since 2009?

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3790 - Mother's Day

My Mom's been gone for so long that I can't even remember what we used to do on Mother's Day. I'd like to think we did something special, but maybe we didn't. I still have a few childhood Christmas memories along with a fuzzy recollection of Sunrise Services at Easter, but I'm drawing a blank on Mother's Day. No memories of Father's Day either.

I thought the park would be really crowded since it was a holiday, but there were fewer people than I thought. It was a nice cool day and we had another pleasant walk with Dawn before breakfast. Dawn seems to like this new routine. Of course she'd already eaten her own breakfast before we left the house. People can postpone their breakfast. Dogs want to eat as soon as they wake up.

The new battery for my laptop arrived this morning. I was surprised that FedEx delivers on Sunday now. I wasn't expecting the battery until tomorrow. I was glad to see the package at the door. It gave me something to do today. There are always surprises with computer upgrades. I ordered the correct battery but for some reason it wouldn't fix in the enclosure. It seemed to be exactly the same size as the dead battery I was replacing, but there must have been a tiny difference. I thought about sending the battery back, but decided to file off one of the edges instead. It looked like if I rounded one of the corners just a bit, the battery should fit. I found a special file in my old watch repair toolkit and carefully shaved away some of the plastic case. After I rounded one of the corners, the battery fit perfectly. I still can't figure out why the battery didn't fit right out of the box. It looks identical to the OEM battery.

After I reattached all the loose cables and put the computer back together, I nervously pressed the power button. The computer started and booted up normally. I wasn't done though. I had to calibrate the power management system. This involved charging the battery and then discharging it completely, waiting five hours, and then recharging the battery again. I'm still not done with that process.

One of the downsides to this whole upgrade process is that my Microsoft Office 2011 no longer works. It is no longer supported by Microsoft either. Buried in the license agreement is a short paragraph that says you can't move the software to a different machine without voiding your license. Why? This makes no sense, since computers crash all the time. I'm sure I'm not the first person who installed a new hard drive in their computer. I guess a new hard drive counts as a new computer to Microsoft. They were no help at all when I called them this afternoon. They just want me to subscribe to Office 365.

I think we're going to start visiting the rescue dogs again. We haven't been to the kennel since the pandemic started. There is a new dog that needs to be photographed for the website and we miss seeing the Dalmatians. The place should be safe enough. It's mostly just dogs.

I have my annual physical exam later this week. Looks like my doctor is seeing regular patients again, since I got a reminder about the appointment today. I've got all sorts of questions for the doc. What do you think about hydroxychloroquine? How about vitamin D? What is an ideal pulse oximeter reading? He'll probably just ask me about my trip to the Davis Mountains. We both love West Texas.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3786

The big event of the day was watching the Blue Angels do their flyover of Dallas. We walked Dawn a little later this morning, so we would be in a good position to see the planes around 11 AM. It was all over pretty quickly. We did see the Blue Angles, but they weren't very close. If you were downtown you probably got a good view, but our vantage point in the park was a little too far away. I've seen Southwest Airlines planes on final approach that were more exciting. Oh, well. It was a nice day and it was still something to do.

Dawn seemed tired on her walk because it was a lot warmer at 11 AM. We're going to have to continue walking very early. Like all of our Dalmatians, Dawn really doesn't like the heat. She will drink water from a bottle though, which is something that Dot and Dash never learned to do. We'll go back to walking early again tomorrow morning. It just seems to work better.

I discovered recently that one of the astronomers I met at McDonald Observatory has an amazing Instagram account. I guess I knew he was into astrophotography, but I never realized his images were so amazingly beautiful. I wrote the guy to complement him on his photography skills and also mentioned that my article about observing with him at one of the large telescopes was going to be published in Sky and Telescope. We made plans to get together again at the observatory when life returns to normal. Lord knows when that will be though. He didn't think that the observatory would reopen to the public until later in the Fall at the earliest.

I'm disappointed that the response to the pandemic has become almost completely political. That didn't take long. Each side has staked out their positions and both seem to have valid points. Unfortunately, there seems little room for compromise. The longer this drags out, the more entrenched each side becomes. It seems almost impossible to find out what is really going on. There are powerful forces at work here. I don't care what you believe. You are being manipulated. We should be united like our parents and grandparents were during World War II. It's not happening though. When this is over, we will be more divided than we were before.

I grew up during the cold war. Our adversary was the Russians and our anger as a country was directed outward. Almost everything we did, including landing on the moon in 1969, was focused on beating, humiliating, or bankrupting the Russians. Without the cold war, we probably wouldn't have even gone to the moon.

Perhaps it was for the best that we directed our anger outwards in those days. We are an angry people. We always have been. Today we have directed this anger inward and it is destroying a great country. We are literally cannibalizing everything our parents worked so hard to create. The Russians and especially the Chinese must be laughing at us now. If our self-destructive behavior continues, they will achieve the world domination they want without having to lift a finger. If you like conspiracy theories, it is pretty plausible to believe that the Chinese unleashed this virus on purpose, knowing full well what would happen next.

I'm still waiting on a FedEx package. I don't think it is going to come today. In the grand scheme of things this isn't a big deal. Waiting for the package will give me something to do tomorrow.

Patches is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3771

I think I'm living in Bizarro World. High tech electronic suppliers who I've worked with for years are now sending me e-mails saying that they've got masks. What the hell. These guys sell computer networking equipment. I went ahead and bought some masks though. These guys are reliable and maybe they know something I don't.

Everybody is wearing a mask now, but nobody is wearing it right. When I went to the post office today I saw a guy pull a dirty mask out of his back pocket, put it on as he went inside and then put it back in his pocket again as soon as he left the building. I've seen people take their masks off to sneeze and then put them back on again. I saw two guys in a bass boat wearing masks while they were fishing alone out in the middle of the lake. WTF? Were the fish going to give them the virus? I don't think anyone's even heard of a sterile field. Does all this even matter? We probably won't know for another two years.

I always wear a mask when I'm out in public. I don't really think the Home Depot sanding masks I wear protect me or others from anything, but they help me blend in and be inconspicuous. Who ever thought that wearing a mask in broad daylight would make you look inconspicuous? These days you want to blend in and become invisible. Like I said, it's a Bizarro World out there. I've always been much more worried about social unrest than about the virus itself. The last thing I want is some stressed out mom rolling down the window of her Mercedes and accusing me of putting her grandma at risk.

I think it's OK to go without a mask when you're walking your dog in a huge wooded park. We don't wear masks when we walk Dawn. Don't you dare leave your mask behind when you go to the grocery store though. You're asking for trouble. I think the people I see who are wearing masks out in the park when they are at least three hundred yards away from another person are missing the point. Fresh air isn't going to kill you. Going to the grocery store every day because you keep running out of cookies might not be so smart though.

I'm not sure if I ever want to get in a crowded elevator again. A completely full Southwest Airlines flight might make me a little nervous too. If I make the cut and end up getting a press pass for the Crew Dragon launch at the end of May I won't worry about flying though. I imagine the planes that are still in the air will be pretty empty.

The parts to upgrade my computer came today. Usually this would be a signature required delivery but the FedEx guy didn't want to get anywhere near me. The package just appeared on my doorstep sometime during the day. Usually I don't like to leave packages out on the doorstep, but this was the only option. The FedEx offices are closed to the public now. It might take me several days to work up my nerve to take the computer apart and make the repairs. I think I need to watch the YouTube upgrade video again.

Janet walked Dawn by herself this morning because I had to stay home and wait for the FedEx guy. Of course, I could have gone anywhere today. The delivery didn't arrive until 7 PM. Dawn continues to do great. There is no real need to train her. If anything, she is training us. So far, Dawn is one of the few good things that has happened during the pandemic. You need a good dog nearby when the world is falling apart

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3716

It was really cold this morning. We thought Dawn might like to wear Dot's winter hat on her walk. Dawn wasn't so sure. She gave us one of her huge Dalmatian smiles, showing not only her teeth, but her tongue as well. This was kind of a nervous smile. "What are you doing to me," she was saying. "This hat doesn't even fit." Dawn didn't have to wear the hat. She tried to humor us though, wearing the hat around the house for a little while without trying to shake it off.

One of the reasons it felt so cold this morning was that there was a fierce wind. The temperature was in the high thirties, but the strong winds made it feel like it was well below freezing. The weather didn't seem to bother Dawn. She still loved her walk. The sky was clear and there were lots of things to smell. Dawn really enjoys smelling things, but so far doesn't chase squirrels.

It's a shame that people steal packages off porches these days. It takes away one of the main benefits of ordering online. I had to re-route a FedEx delivery to a FedEx facility today. Hopefully, I can pick it up tomorrow. I do this for UPS deliveries as well. Janet picks up her Amazon purchases at Whole Foods. It's less convenient, but this is just the world we live in. Who would have thought that you'd end up driving across town to pick up a FedEx delivery or never answer your phone because you didn't want to talk to a telemarketer. I never thought I'd have to take my shoes off at the airport either.

It looks like I'm going to be really busy at the observatory. I received a ton of additional background information today. There are viewing targets for each Star Party night as well as a list of alternate targets in case it is partly cloudy. If your target is covered by clouds, I guess you just point your telescope somewhere else. There is a lot to look at in the night sky. The few things I'm familiar with don't even begin to scratch the surface.

Reading all this background material inspired me to send another article proposal to Sky and Telescope. We'll see if I get a response. I'm learning to be patient about query letters. Some magazines respond quickly and others seem to take forever. Sky and Telescope is always slow to respond. I hope I don't end up being a nuisance to the editors I've gotten to know. I think I want to hear from them a lot more than they want to hear from me.

I think I'm going to take my McDonald Observatory target list to the observatory north of town when I visit. It would be really beneficial to know where to find some of these objects ahead of time. I talk a good game about liking astronomy, but I really don't spend a lot of time outdoors looking at the stars. I don't like the cold for starters. Tilting my head sharply to look straight overhead occasionally gives me neck pain as well. It might have been easier if I was interested in stamp collecting instead.

I still haven't picked up another bucket of the silicon coating to apply on the roof. I'm going to regret this the next time it rains. I keep postponing this chore because the silicon material is quite expensive and it's a long drive to the roofing supply store. It didn't take me long to buy that wide angle lens though. I guess we all have our priorities.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2238

My fitness tracker has decided that I'm sleep deprived and has started sending me all sorts of friendly tips on how to get more sleep. Leave me alone fitness band. You should be happy that I'm still getting in a lot of steps. I don't need to know when to eat my dinner or how to relax. I'd sleep like a baby if I didn't have to clean up dog poop in the middle of the night. I've gotten so good at predicting when Dot is going to have an accident that last night I got up to check on her and was pleased to see that it was just a false alarm. I went to the bathroom, and on my way back to bed, I smelled a familiar smell. Yep. She pooped while I was in the bathroom. Dot was still asleep in exactly the same position as she was thirty seconds earlier, but there was a little dark pile about six inches away from her on the rug. How did she even do this. I cleaned up the mess and went back to bed.

My favorite machines were broken when I went to the gym today. I substituted twenty minutes on the rowing machine for the hand bicycle and discovered further evidence that my shoulder injury is getting worse. I used to be able to stay on the rowing machine forever without much discomfort. Not anymore. Ouch! I did another obligatory twenty minutes on the treadmill with the elevation set as high as I could. That was it. My heart wasn't really in it today. I didn't use any of the other machines at all and spent the rest of my time shooting baskets. I always wonder about consistency when I'm shooting free throws. My hands and body know what to do by now, but still it's is very hard to get more than five baskets in a row. Hey, even NBA players miss a free throw now and then. It would seem like it wouldn't be that hard to lift your arms and constantly push a ball the thirteen feet it needs to travel to reach the eighteen inch hole above the basket. Apparently, getting hand-eye coordination and muscle memory all working together is much harder than it seems. I am getting better though. Consistency is a worthy goal.

I didn't even bother to vacuum the house when I got home from the gym. The dogs were sleeping peacefully and Janet was already cooking dinner. Vacuuming would have disrupted things. I have the entire upcoming week to vacuum the house. I'm sure I'll be able to find a time when the noise won't bother anybody.

When I checked on my missing package on the FedEx website, I noticed that the delivery date had changed from yesterday to "pending." There wasn't a delivery date listed at all. I guess this either means that the package is lost or that the Fedex employees have lost interest in continually scanning the bar codes of everything they touch. It must get old to have millions of things to deliver and all the recipients want to know exactly where these package is at any given moment in time. Maybe it was better in the old days when the postman just left packages randomly next to your front door whether you were expecting them or not. I need to find a twelve step program for people who track things too much. I track everything from the positions of the planets in the sky to the number of calories I burn each day. I know it doesn't matter, but I'm curious about these things.

I'm not very curious about politics. I'll be very glad when the Iowa Caucuses are over tomorrow night. I can't even turn on the TV anymore without hearing endless commentary and speculation about the Iowa Caucuses. Do these things even matter? I don't think the Iowa Caucuses have actually predicted a winner for a long, long time. Maybe all the candidates from both parties should just put their name in a hat and let a blindfolded Kim Kardashian pick the winner. I guess the real question is in a field that includes an avowed socialist, a guy who is best know for telling people "you're fired," two Cubans, a heart surgeon with no political experience, and a woman who could be indited at any minute for playing fast and loose with national secrets, what the word winning really means. If any of these folks win, we all lose.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day