Day 3664

It felt a lot more like the first day of Spring than the middle of Winter today. The temperature was in the mid-seventies and I was able to wear shorts and a t-shirt on my walk. On days like this the gym is usually empty. Everybody is outside.

I did my usual workout, but spent quite a bit of time outside as well. I took advantage of the warm weather and made some more patches on the roof. I've used most of the silicon material now and what little remains has started to harden in the can. I patched a bunch of very small holes today. After today's patches dry, I've probably got just enough coating left to do this one more time.

The park was packed with people today. There was a traffic jam on the trails as joggers, cyclists, dog walkers, and families out for a stroll competed for space. The weather was nice, but in a way, I like bleak, cold days better when I have the entire park to myself.

You notice things on busy days. More people have small dogs than large dogs. Drivers prefer Japanese cars to American or European ones, but they prefer pickup trucks even more. Kids don't like long walks nearly as much as their parents. Dogs wish their owners would slow down so they could smell things. I'm sure there's more but I'm really not that observant.

I always see lots of hammocks on a nice day. I've never understood their popularity. Why would you go to a park and spend all your time sitting in a hammock looking at your phone? I saw dozens of hammocks strung between trees today and the occupants were all looking at their phones. Of course, I see lots of cyclists and joggers looking at their phones as well. It is that hard to just put the phone away for a while?

I'm thinking about getting one of those Universe2Go AR viewers. These things are dirt cheap compared to other alternatives and I've got an old iPhone without a SIM card that I could use with it. Some reviewers love this thing and others think it is a piece of junk. There are enough good reviews to make me think that the bad reviews were mostly from people who didn't read the instructions. It would be cool to be able to look up at the sky and see constellation names and planet locations superimposed on your field of view.

I need to call the observatory next week and find out about living arrangements. If living in an RV or travel trailer is the only alternative, it's really going to complicate things. It's easy enough to rent an RV, but I hate the thought of driving it to the Davis Mountains from Dallas. I'm still hoping that I can rent a little house or cabin on the mountain somewhere. We'll see. Basically I still don't have a clue how this all works yet.

I also need to find out whether I'm going to get press credentials for Kennedy Space Center. I though I would have heard something by now, but again I don't have a clue how this all works yet. One way or another, this Spring ought to be interesting.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

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