Day 4643

Just a normal Saturday doing normal Saturday things. I wished I'd worn a jacket on our sunrise walk with Dawn. It was the first time I've felt chilly outside for a long time. It was a beautiful morning with clear skies and temperatures in the mid 60's. When we returned home, we had our weekend breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. I made the bed, checked my messages, and got ready to go grocery shopping again.

I still can't get used to how expensive everything has become. It's not just food either. Even furnace filters have doubled in price. At least gas is more reasonable now. I filled my tank for quite a bit less than what I was paying two months ago. Strawberries are expensive again. The price goes up and down throughout the year depending on where they are imported from. I've got to have strawberries though. They have become an essential part of my morning routine.

It's weird how quickly it heats up during the day. I was thinking of walking in the park today, but by the time I was ready it was already too hot. Mornings feel like Fall has arrived, but by noon it is obvious that Summer is still hanging around. The leaves haven't started to fall yet, but that is coming soon. It's a shame that the yard will be covered in Oak leaves in a month or so. Our yard is finally looking nice for the first time all summer.

I went back to the gym this afternoon since I didn't feel like dealing with the heat. We seem to have a thirty degree temperature swing every day. My gym is always nice and cool. You can have a pretty good workout without even working up a sweat. I completed my usual routine and went home again. I'm still slower walking on the indoor track than I am outdoors. This remains a mystery to me. Logically, I should be faster walking indoors in a nice climate controlled environment.

I hope that my favorite Chinese restaurant hasn't gone out of business. I was going to get take-out tonight, but the website wasn't working and when I called to place an order, no one answered. The last time I picked something up at this restaurant nobody was there. It was sad seeing the place completely empty and I wondered if they were having trouble. I should have driven over to the place to see what was going on, but I just ordered a pizza instead. The pizza place changed their menu and prices have gone up, but the pizza was still good.

There were lots of things on my to-do list that got ignored this afternoon. I just didn't feel like doing anything. The rest of the world was watching shows about the queen, but I watched another Starlink launch on the Space X live stream. Why do I keep watching these things? All these Falcon 9 launches are identical.

These weeks really go quickly. It's already time for Dawn's Sunday outing and another walk at Northpark mall. Didn't I just do this a few days ago? You'd think I'd get bored with such a repetitive, regimented routine, but I find the monotony strangely comforting. Don't expect me to be spontaneous. It's just not going to happen.

Cleo it today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4629

I made it to Kennedy Space Center. So far, so good. My flight was on time. I managed to find a rental car with GPS. I got my press credentials and checked into my Airbnb. Now all I've got to do is wait for the rain to stop. The weather's not looking good, but hopefully it will improve by Monday morning.

I wasn't looking forward to such an early flight this morning, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. There were no crowds at the terminal and the plane was only half full. I went through the TSA line in record time. Love Field has really improved the way you go through security. You don't have to take your computer or liquids out of your bag anymore. You don't need to remove belts or watches either. The whole process is much faster now. I wish all airports would upgrade their equipment like this. The Orlando airport is still impossibly slow.

The Airbnb is a lot different than a hotel. It's basically a small apartment with a full kitchen. I could cook all my meals here if I wanted. There are pots and pans to cook with and plenty of dishes. I went to a nearby grocery store and got some things for breakfast. I'll just eat cereal like I usually do. This seems a lot easier than looking for a restaurant every morning. The place is clean and in a very convenient location. Who knows. I may become a believer in this type of travel. Airbnb definitely offers some real advantages.

There is a Space X Starlink launch scheduled for tonight. The weather doesn't look good and the launch is very late, but I think I'll go out to the press site anyway and see if I can get some pictures. Space X has been known to launch in less than optimal weather before, so if the rain stops before launch time there's a good chance the launch will take place. It's hard to pass up a chance to see two launches in a single trip, so I'll give it a shot even though things look 50/50 at this point.

One of my astronaut interviews got canceled tomorrow. The Italian astronaut had a flight delay and won't be here in time for the interview. I think the interview with the German astronaut is still on though. I wish I'd signed up to set remote cameras. This was going to take place on Friday before I arrived, but there was a thunderstorm and everything got postponed. Now there is a bus taking photographers to the pad tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, it's too late for me to sign up. I'm not sure I could go anyway, since I don't have any remote cameras to set. Space X often lets me ride on the bus and take pictures even if I don't place any remote cameras. NASA is more strict about this though. If you don't have remote cameras to place, they usually won't let you on the bus.

Dot has been gone for quite a while, but it would have been her birthday today. We had great birthday parties for Dot and Dash. We'll have to continue this tradition with Dawn. I remember that I even took a cake decorating class once just so we could make elaborate birthday cakes for the dogs. I don't think either of us has that much energy anymore, but Dawn definitely deserves something special.

I'm going to post this early tonight because I don't feel like blogging after a late night launch. I'd much rather get a little sleep. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4621

Today is Janet's birthday. We dressed up a little, went to a nice restaurant, and had a great dinner. We were both born on the 19th, but two months apart. Neither of us is getting any younger, but we seem to be doing well. Janet is still doing a better job of staying in shape than I am. The birthdays come too fast now. It doesn't seem like a year has passed since our last birthday celebration. Hopefully, there will be many more.

The weather is still a little cooler. Dawn enjoyed her sunrise walk and it was still nice enough for me to take a long walk in the park later in the morning. I probably should have gone to the gym because it did seem pretty hot by the time I returned home. I managed to complete my full six mile route, but it's starting to seem a little harder that it did a year ago. I'm determined to keep moving though. I think I would deteriorate pretty rapidly if I stopped moving.

I had trouble posting the blog to Facebook last night. I finally discovered a work around, but it did make me wonder why I still post something every day. I really don't have that much to say. Computer problems are becoming more common now. I keep getting messages that my browser is out of date and is no longer supported. The computer is old and can't run new systems. I don't feel like buying a new one though. As far as I'm concerned the computer worked fine ten years ago. Why do people insist on changing things? At any rate, I hope the blog posts normally tonight. I'm tired and want to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

There were more bills to pay today. Living on a fixed income in inflationary times is not something I'd recommend. When I was working I could just work a little longer and make more money when prices started to rise. Now I have to pay more attention to budgeting. I don't buy as many things I don't need now. Maybe if I did this when I was younger, I wouldn't even need the storage warehouse.

I think there might be a Space X Starlink launch while I'm down in Florida. It would be nice if I could see two launches in a single trip. I'm not sure about the date though. Some places say the Space X launch will take place two days before the Artemis launch. Other places say the day before and one website says that the launch has been postponed until some time in September. Probably the most accurate website just said "launch date subject to change."

I think Dawn finally accepts me as a family member. We're getting along pretty well now. We certainly share some of the same interests. We both like to eat and we like to nap. I don't think that Dawn will ever be completely comfortable with men, but this is close enough for me. She is a good dog.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4342

Prices still seemed outrageous when I went shopping this morning. Inflation is real and I don't think it's going away any time soon. People will get used to the new prices and eventually they will seem normal. It's always been this way. Prices from everything from gasoline to butter routinely go up and down, but at the end of the day they always seem to be higher than they used to be. When I was in college, gasoline was 25 cents a gallon and a $40,000 house was considered expensive. I wish I'd bought a $40,000 house back in the day and held on to it. I could sell it for millions now. I wish I'd bought that 1956 300 SL Gullwing I saw on sale for $25,000 when I lived in Seattle. That car would definitely be worth more than most houses today. The problem was that when gas was 25 cents a gallon, I was young and had no money. 

Prices have always seemed to rise faster than wages and yet most people seem better off than they used to be. All the little frame houses in our neighborhood are gradually being replaced by McMansions. When I was grocery shopping this morning, the parking lots were all filled with shiny new cars. I guess I really don't understand economics. We complain about high prices, but as a country we appear to be doing really well. There will always be poverty, but I think it was a lot more prevalent when my parents were young.

It was only 39 degrees when we got up this morning. This meant we had to wear warm clothes when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. Dawn, like most Dalmatians, appears to like the colder weather. I complain a lot, but I don't really mind it either. It's a lot easier to add clothes when you're cold than to subtract them when you are hot. 

When I took my long walk after I finished grocery shopping I saw one of the eagles again. It was more distant than it was when I saw it a few weeks ago, but it was still easy to tell the bird was an eagle. The size of these birds and the white head makes them pretty distinctive. I walked across an open field trying to get closer to the eagle, but all I managed to do was twist my ankle. My feet are a mess these days. I really need to stick to walking on pavement and well defined trails.

Grocery shopping and my long walk used up a big chunk of the day, so I didn't feel guilty about doing nothing for the rest of the day. I went out to pick up Chinese take-out for dinner and was amazed at all the traffic. Where were all these people going? It felt like the entire city was on the move. Heavy traffic is the main reason I don't like to drive anymore. Driving on empty roads out in West Texas is a completely different experience.

I watched the Starlink launch on the Space X live feed this morning. This would have been a really pretty launch to see in person. Kennedy Space Center was covered in a thick ground fog and only the top of the rocket poked through the cloud bank while it was on the launch pad. It kind of looked like a science fiction movie where the Falcon 9 was taking off from a different planet. I would have loved to photograph this one.

I would have loved to photograph the eagle I saw today too. I don't think I have the dedication though. Some of the local photographers hang around the area for hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bird. It's usually a photographer who points the eagle out to me. I would have missed the bird today if it weren't for a photographer crossing my path holding a camera with a long telephoto lens. "See the eagle over there," he gestured toward me as he raced to get his shot. Sure enough, there it was.

I guess people are still reading the blog. My niece sent me a picture of my Mom in uniform after reading my Veteran's Day post.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4341

It's hard to dress properly for my walks at this time of year. It was really cold when I got up this morning. I ended up wearing long underwear and a sweater under my jacket on our sunrise walk with Dawn. After breakfast it felt considerably warmer, so I ditched the long underwear and just wore a light fleece jacket on my long walk. By the time I was on my last mile it felt so warm that I finished the walk in shirt sleeves. It was a nice day though. The skies were clear and the recent storm seemed to have cleared out all the pollen in the air. I don't think my seasonal allergies are over yet, but it's nice to have a day of reprieve from the watering eyes and dripping nose.

I always see something interesting on my walks. Today I saw somebody walking a ferret on a leash. This must have been quite a hike for the little ferret. The pair were at least a mile from any car or house. I also see a guy walking his cat in a harness from time to time. How do you even get a cat to wear a harness and walk on a leash?

I had no plans for today. I thought I'd buy another pair of Hoka shoes with a 20% off REI coupon that was going to expire soon. It turned out that the shoes were just about the only thing that the coupon wasn't good for. Oh, well. I searched the Internet and found the Hoka store, where the shoes I wanted were almost half price. When I went to check out on Paypal, it turned out that this wasn't a real Hoka store after all. It was some weird Chinese company that sold electromechanical equipment. Something seemed really fishy about this, so I canceled the sale. It's hard to trust the Internet these days. This place was probably selling counterfeit shoes or maybe they would just take your money and claim that the shoes were lost on a container ship in the Pacific. I guess I'll wait until the shoes go on sale in a real store here in Dallas.

It's hard for me to remember what day it is on Friday. I went through half the day thinking it was Saturday.  Maybe this is because Janet does her grocery shopping on Friday now. We both used to do our shopping on Saturday. I started thinking that I need to do my shopping too, but then I finally remembered what day it was. I think Dawn remembers what day it is better than I do. All I have to do is say "It's grocery day" and Dawn jumps off the bed and runs to the front door to greet Janet when she returns.

The Starlink launch I was going to watch this morning got postponed until tomorrow morning. These frequent changes aren't a big deal when you are watching a live stream on your computer, but they can make travel a real problem. I've had several launches get postponed after I made the trip to Kennedy Space Center or Vandenberg Air Force Base. Usually I can extend my stay a day or two, but occasionally I've had to come home seeing nothing. I've also driven all the way out to McDonald Observatory only to find clouds and rain when I got there. It makes me wonder why I've chosen these two frustrating activities as my favorite things to do. 

Tomorrow is grocery day. At least it's my grocery day. This is about the only time I use the car anymore. I'll get my shopping done early and then take another walk. You'd think I could find something more interesting to do on the weekend, but that's not going to happen. These days if I manage to get out of bed and get dressed, I consider the day a success.

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4149

I'm making progress. I've now got a dual boot laptop that will run the old software I depend on and the new astrophotography software I need. I was a little apprehensive about adding a partition with a new operating system to the laptop's hard drive, because if something went wrong I could lose important applications that I no longer have the install disks for. Things don't always go as planned when I do stuff like this, but I followed the instructions carefully and everything went perfectly. I'm surprised that I've never done this before. Usually if I need a different operating system I just use an external hard drive. Now I just need to add the astronomy software to the new partition and I'm ready for the workshop.

There was another Starlink launch at Kennedy Space Center this morning. There are so many of these things now that I'm losing track of them. A few of my Florida friends seem to go to every single one of these launches. I'm a little envious, but I don't know if I'd have the stamina to drive out to the Space Center and set up cameras day after day. A few launches a year is fine by me. The dedicated photographers are the one who get accredited though. Only one of the regulars routinely comes from out of state. His son is an airline pilot though and he gets free airfare. It's hard to compete with these guys. 

A popular small telescope that is perpetually out of stock suddenly became available on one of the astronomy equipment websites today. Should I order this? Probably not. It's tempting, but it wouldn't arrive in time for the workshop and there is no time to learn to use it anyway. I need to learn that equipment isn't always the answer. My time would be better spent learning how to get the most out of the stuff I already have.

Dawn got a bath today. She wasn't happy about the bath, but Janet likes a clean dog. I keep telling Dawn that dirty dogs are fine with me, but she doesn't appear to get the message. Dawn and I should be best buddies because I think like a dog. Dirt is fine. Eating, sleeping, and long walks are my life. I'm not wild about people walking down the alley either. Sometimes I think that Dawn is warming up to me. I'm probably fooling myself though. Dawn isn't frightened of me at all. She just doesn't like me.

The park was pretty empty today. Life must be returning to normal because there is a real difference between weekend and weekday activity now. During the worst of the pandemic, every day was the same. There were days when I couldn't tell the difference between Tuesday and Sunday because nobody was working. I'm not seeing as many people wearing masks outdoors in the park either. Little by little, a sense of normalcy is returning.

I made an appointment to get a haircut before my trip. I always do this before I travel. Luckily, I've still got hair to cut. My age is showing though. I often feel tired when I return from my walks. These walks shouldn't bother me at all because I'm not exactly setting the world on fire. I walk pretty slow. "All in good time" should be my new motto. Hey, I did get my laptop properly configured today. Tomorrow, I'll do something else. Don't let me buy that telescope though. I don't need it. I should start saving for a trip to Florida instead.

Crosby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day