Day 3663

I discovered augmented reality glasses last year when I went to Johnson Space Center. I got a chance to use these things again when I was at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. These glasses are pretty cool. You can look through them like any pair of glasses, but 3D information can be superimposed in your field of view. Every time I go outside to look at the night sky, I keep thinking that a sky map combined with a pair of these augmented reality glasses would be a great idea. As you looked around, everything you see would automatically be identified.

Tonight as I tried and failed again to find the planet Uranus, I wondered if something like this already existed. Of course it does. A quick Google search revealed that you can already download a sky chart app for Google Glass. Forget that. I'm not paying $1500 for Google Glass. There is a less expensive AR viewer that uses your phone called Universe2Go. I'm not sure it works very well. National Geographic makes something like this as well, but they don't sell it to individuals. You can buy tickets for the 'experience' at select planetariums. I wonder why I've never heard of these things before? Probably because they are either very expensive, or don't work as promised. This is the future though. I'd definitely buy some augmented reality star chart glasses once prices come down to earth.

My purchases today were definitely down to earth. I got strawberries, blueberries, and cheese. I filled up the car with gas and was home again in plenty of time to take a walk before noon. This winter has definitely gotten off to a better start than last winter. Today was beautiful. The park was full of people and there were dozens of small sailboats on the lake. One thing was missing though. All the porta-potties in the park had vanished. I didn't even notice this until several people stopped me to ask where the bathrooms were. Strange. Why would the city remove all the bathrooms from a busy city park? When I first moved here there were nice clean restrooms with running water and real toilets. These buildings were built by the CCC during the 1930's and served the city well for over 60 years. At some point the city padlocked all these buildings. They still stand, but nobody can use them. Now all the porta-potties are gone as well.

I got a lot more done today than I had planned. I changed the furnace filters, cleaned up the utility room, vacuumed the house, and attempted to clear away all the leaves in the back year with the leaf blower. The leaves will require a lot more work, but at least I cleared them away from the house and the back porch. I didn't go up on the roof though. Maybe tomorrow. I think the weather is going to be even warmer tomorrow.

This week has gone quickly. It doesn't seem like it is already time to go back to the gym. I'm beginning to think all my activity has been beneficial. I have more energy now. It's not a lot, but it is noticeable. I'm finishing my five mile walks a few minutes earlier than I used to. These are small steps, but they are in the right direction.

Hunter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2634

I rescheduled my dental appointment so I could go early in the morning. I need to remember to schedule everything for early in the morning. There are a few hours between 9 AM and noon that it's still safe to assume that Dot will be sleeping. Any other time of day and all bets are off. I used my discretionary time today to go to the bank. That was about it. The rest of the day I just stayed around the house.

I've learned that the dogs are quieter when I stay in the office, but when work is slow that's hard to do. If I make the mistake of going to the kitchen, Dash is instantly right there with me. He can be sound asleep and some kind of infallible internal radar always tells him when I'm headed for the kitchen. When Dash starts barking for food, it usually wakes up Dot, who starts barking too. Dot can't follow me anywhere, but when I lift her up, she follows Dash and I follow her, holding up her rear legs.

I'm glad that Dot has learned to depend on me, but it sure keeps me busy. Half the time I don't think she knows what she wants to do, but maybe walking around aimlessly is good exercise. I wish Dot's vets could come up with a solution that would reduce the signs of senility I've been seeing. We've tried several supplements that are supposed to improve cognitive function in dogs, but they seem to do nothing. Several people have told me that SAM-e can be beneficial for dogs with cognitive issues. I took SAM-e for a while myself after friends told me how wonderful it was. I couldn't tell that it did anything though, and quit using it after a few months. Maybe it works better for dogs.

When I took Dot out to pee before I went to bed last night it was warm and very muggy outside. This morning the clouds and humidity were gone and it was 30 degrees colder. I really can't keep up with the weather this year. Every day is a surprise. As soon as I'm reasonably sure that there won't be another freeze, I need to call the landscaper. It would be nice to have grass in the back yard again. I've just about destroyed all the ground cover by trampling on it as I walk Dot around in the yard. The same thing happened when our first Dalmatian got old and had trouble walking. It took two or three years for the Asian Jasmine to grow back again.

I went out with binoculars this evening to look for Uranus. It's located right below Mars now and should be easy to find. Unfortunately the 6th magnitude planet is very dim. I've always had trouble finding it with the light pollution we have in Dallas. At any rate, I think I saw something below Mars tonight, but I'm not sure it was Uranus.

I wonder how long this stock market rally is going to last. Today's 300 point gain was pretty impressive. I've made some nice gains during this rally, but they could evaporate overnight if the tax cuts everyone is excited about don't materialize. It's always hard to tell when to enter and exit the market. I think the rally will last a while, so I'm not going to sell yet. I could be wrong. I've definitely been wrong before.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day