Day 4527

I had to pick up a prescription this morning and I asked the pharmacist if there would be any difference in price if I used GoodRx instead of my Part-D prescription drug plan. I was surprised. The pills cost $37 using my drug plan and only $10 using GoodRx. Jeez. Why do I even have this prescription drug plan? I would just drop it, except that I suspect that GoodRx only covers certain widely used drugs. Some medications for cancer and other diseases are insanely expensive. You wouldn't want to be without coverage if you needed them. 

When I had hepatitis C, the Solvaldi I needed to cure the disease cost $1000 a pill. I had to take the pills daily for 12 weeks. I've had a healthy respect for medical insurance ever since. When I was working, medical insurance was my largest single expense. Often it made the difference between a profit or a loss for the year. It's hard to even get medical insurance if you own a small business and aren't part of a group. I had friends who were freelancers or owned small businesses like mine who went without medical insurance because of the expense. I always thought this was insane. The quickest way to get wiped out financially is to get sick without insurance. I'll use GoodRx when I can, but I'll keep my prescription drug plan. You never know when you might need it.

I got another update from the Benro people who said it would fix my camera connection problem with the star tracker. I didn't bother trying to install it because I knew it would just cause further aggravation. Why the hesitation? On the same day I received this special patch, there was also a general update to the iPhone app that controls everything. Do I upgrade the iPhone app first and then apply the patch, or the other way around? The Benro folks never said and it could make a big difference. I'm sure I'd have a lot better luck with the star tracker if I spoke Mandarin. I had the same problem when I worked for Seimens in Germany. Language barriers can create huge problems. I tried to learn German when I was doing a lot of work in Europe, but whatever I learned never stuck with me. I'm back to a single language now.

The weather was a little cooler today. We had a nice early walk with Dawn and I was even able to complete my full six mile route on my long walk later in the day. It was still hot outside, but somehow it seemed a lot better than yesterday. I really need to start going back to the gym. They have a nice indoor track and they keep the place very cold. It's boring walking six miles around a small indoor track. but it beats having a heat stroke. I have a feeling that we are going to have a very hot summer. It's only mid-May and it already feels like July.

I'm automatically cleared to attend certain launches and I get lots of messages about when and where to meet to set up cameras or attend press briefings. It kind of makes me sad that I can't attend most of these launches. Some of my Florida photographer friends go to all of them. It's just too expensive if you live out of state and don't have a big media outlet covering your expenses. I think airlines lead the list for price hikes in 2022. Flying has gotten very expensive. Driving isn't so cheap either. Gasoline expenses for my trip out to McDonald Observatory recently were a lot more than they were last year. When I was in college gas was 25 cents a gallon. In the early 70's when I was starting out in advertising, you could buy a Porsche for $8000 and rent a great apartment for $200 a month. I never dreamed then that we would end up where we are today.

I wonder if I'll have the nerve to upgrade the star tracker tomorrow. It depends on how bored I am. I usually make a mess of things when I get bored.

Susie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3359

I started making arrangements to go to Johnson Space Center. Where did I get the idea I could fly to Houston for around $100? Seems like I've flown there for less than $100 before. Oh, well. I guess it's been a while. Uber and Lyft didn't even exist the last time I took a trip. I probably need to get with the times and download the Uber app. Janet likes Uber. I've never tried ride sharing. It's probably been five years since I hailed a cab. There just isn't much need for such things when you're going to the post office.

I wasn't always reluctant to travel. I used to travel frequently on business and even had clients in Europe. Jeez. I think I still have over 150,000 unused AAdvantage miles. Something has changed. Janet and I have enjoyed spending time in Athens, Paris, and Barcelona but now Fort Worth seems like the other side of the world. I just don't want to go anywhere. Maybe this little trip to Houston will break the travel curse. Maybe it will make me even more reclusive. Who knows. At least I'm still game to try things.

I certainly didn't go far today. The car never left the driveway. Dash did get two walks though and I managed to put 10,000 steps on the Fitbit. It was still below freezing on our morning walk and there was frost on all the vegetation. I was surprised at how quickly things warmed up. By the time we took our evening walk, the temperature was almost 60 degrees. I think it's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. That's fine by me. Daylight Savings Time starts this Sunday. This seems like a good time to start Spring as well.

Dash has a big exam tomorrow morning. He's due for a complete blood panel and an echocardiogram. Fingers crossed. I really hope the vet notices the improvements we've been seeing lately. It really seems like Dash is feeling a little better but it certainly would be nice to get some medical confirmation of what Janet and I have been seeing. It's easy to imagine things that aren't really there. Wishful thinking can be a very powerful thing.

I'm supposed to get another roofing estimate tomorrow. I don't look forward to anything connected with this roof. I wish I could just limp along with the current roof for another ten years, but it isn't going to happen. I've already spent a huge amount of time and effort trying to patch this thing and it just isn't working. One way or another, a new roof is in my future. I still wish it was a new car instead.

Wow. Two things on the calendar for tomorrow. By my standards, that's a very busy day. I wish I could convince Dash not to poop in the car on the way to the vet. We haven't been very lucky recently. The last time we went to the cancer center we barely made it out of the driveway before he pooped. Maybe things will go well. A good report from the vet and a low estimate from the roofer would be appreciated.

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3221

I'm glad the daily rain doesn't usually start until around 9 AM. Even though the rain has been relentless this week, I've almost always been able to give Dash a morning walk. The evening walks are problematic, but at least he gets a chance to get outside. We didn't get an early start this morning, so we did get a little wet, but I'm not complaining. The daily downpour didn't begin until an hour after we returned home.

I'm getting used to the rain. I don't let it interfere with my activities anymore. Since there was no thunder today and Dash was sleeping calmly, I went out to breakfast anyway. Lately, I've been searching for the perfect Eggs Benedict without much success. Is this dish really that hard to make? A good Eggs Benedict is just an English Muffin topped with ham, a perfectly poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. All too often people seem to want to add Sriracha to the hollandaise and pile different meat and vegetables on top. It's not a sandwich guys. Today I tried a Lobster Benedict. Shredded lobster meat, asparagus, and some sort of spicy tomato bisque over a bagel was certainly creative. It just didn't taste very good. My holy grail breakfast is perfectly prepared French Toast, Eggs Benedict, or Migas. These simple dishes are surprisingly difficult to find.

Dash was still sleeping when I returned from breakfast. I wasn't surprised that he was tired. Once again he kept me up half the night cleaning up poop. At least this time the mess stayed on a protective mat on top of the bed so cleanup was much easier. I'm glad we have the special sanitize setting on our washing machine. It's been getting a lot of use lately. Since he didn't poop again on his morning walk like he usually does, I spent the rest of the day waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was still puzzled late this afternoon by the absence of poop until I accidentally stepped in the stuff on the living room floor.

I got a letter from NASA today inviting me to apply for a chance to watch a Cygnus resupply mission to the International Space Station from Wallops Island, Virginia. Why are these launch sites so difficult to fly to from Dallas? I had to make several connecting flights to get to Vandenberg Air Force Base. It's looks like I'd need to do the same to travel to Wallops Island. I don't think I'll apply. The trip looks expensive. Wallops Island launches often get postponed by weather. Dash is getting pretty hard for one person to manage too. Cleaning up the poop at night is often a two person job.

It would be nice to have something fun to do. I never realized how much of my life was devoted to work until I was fully retired. Dash certainly keeps me busy, but taking care of a sick dog can be very stressful. I need something relaxing. Going out to breakfast on Friday morning used to be relaxing, but when you can't even find a decent Eggs Benedict this become irritating as well.

The best part of today was a long nap with Dash. Early this afternoon, I realized I was very tired. I lay down next to Dash on the bed around 2 PM and didn't wake up again until after 4. I'm not really expecting a good night's sleep tonight, but it would be a nice bonus if I got one.

Diva is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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