Day 4990

When is this month going to be over? I keep waiting for the weather to change, but every day is the same. It looks like we're going to have clear skies and triple digit temperatures forever. The only time when the weather is tolerable is just before sunrise. Our early walks with Dawn are warm now, but they are still the nicest part of the day.

I applied to attend another launch at Kennedy Space Center. This one isn't until early October and I'm not even sure I want to go. I need to keep my space connections alive though. It took me a long time before I was publishing regularly and could consider myself an official space reporter. I definitely don't want to be forgotten and have to start all over again. Maybe my interest in things will return when the weather gets cooler. Right now I just want to hibernate.

I took my time with breakfast this morning because I didn't want to get to they gym too early. What's the hurry? Going to the gym is my only regular activity lately. I've got to space things out so I don't have an entire afternoon to fill. When I did arrive for my workout there seemed to be twice as many people on the floor as there usually are. I'm convinced that the heat is driving everyone indoors. Luckily someone was leaving just as I arrived and I still found a spot in the parking garage. If I have to park outdoors, the steering wheel is almost too hot to touch when it's time to go home again. I was slow on the track today, probably because there were too many other people walking and running. I was pretty good on the basketball court though. If I can ever manage to complete ten free throws in a row, I'll move on to something more difficult.

I wish I hadn't started eating lunch again. I know that's why I'm gaining weight. I'm not even that hungry, but fixing myself lunch is a great way to kill time. There are all kinds of things that need attention around the house, but I'm doing my best to avoid them. Painting is messy. Repairing cracks in ceiling is messy. Some of the carpentry work that is needed is probably beyond the scope of my abilities. It's actually pretty easy to talk myself out of doing repairs. I'm an expert at talking myself out of things.

The pharmacy still doesn't have the pills I need. I may have to get the prescription refilled at a different pharmacy because I will run out tomorrow. It seems like a pharmacy should always have the pills you need but nothing works smoothly anymore. Little inconsequential things have a way of becoming giant hassles.

It looks like we're going to be doing Santa Paw pictures again. We've already got dates scheduled in December. I hope my old equipment keeps working. I hope my body keeps working as well. I definitely don't want to buy any new photo equipment at this stage of my life. I'll keep walking to keep myself working.

Dawn didn't get to go to her training class tonight. It's still way too hot outside. Maybe next week will be better.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4959

Not a bad day, even though everything about it was very predictable. We started out with a nice early walk with Dawn. Why can't the weather stay this way all day? The temperature was in the high 70's and there was a nice breeze. It's amazing how quickly things warm up though. The temperature didn't reach 100 degrees today, but it was still a very hot day.

After another big weekend breakfast, I checked my messages and went to the mall. I go mall walking earlier now because the place is quieter and more peaceful. It's surprising how many people go mall walking. It often feels like a normal business day except that the stores aren't open. I've done this so many times that I'm familiar with all the window displays now. Some change weekly and others never change at all. There were quite a few changes today. Maybe stores are already transitioning from Summer to Fall merchandise. It's a mystery how many of the little stores can remain in business. Even when I go to the mall during the week, these stores never seem to have any customers.

It always takes me about an hour to complete my walk. On the way home I usually listen to Stephen Dubner's Freakonomics Radio. Most of what I know about economics comes from listening to this show. Even though I returned home earlier than usual, Dawn was ready to go on her Sunday outing. She knows our routine really well by now, especially when it involves her. It was too hot to take a long walk, but we took a shorter walk in the Sunday park to let her get outside for a bit.

We always end our Sunday outing with a trip to the ice cream store. Technically this stuff is called Frozen Custard, but it tastes like ice cream to me. How much ice cream we get depends on who is serving the cones. Today we got a lot. Dawn loves ice cream, but she is a messy eater. She'd probably love anything that she got to eat in the car.

As usual I didn't do much this afternoon. More bugs seem to be getting into the house this summer. It must be the heat. I had to chase down a wasp and a cricket this afternoon. There are still a ton of things that need attention around the house, but most are projects I've been trying to avoid for years. I hate to paint and sheet rock repairs are so messy. I may end up doing these things myself anyway, just because I hate having strangers around the house. Doing my own repairs will save a lot of money as well.

It's strange that I still haven't heard anything about the EchoStar Jupiter 3 launch. This thing is supposed to take place on Wednesday and credentialing notices still haven't gone out yet. I guess it doesn't matter anyway. I've decided not to go to this one. I really want to see the first Vulcan Centaur launch, but that has been postponed until the end of the year. Oh, well. Winter in Titusville is much more pleasant than Summer anyway.

I have no big plans for tomorrow. No little plans either. So far it looks like it's going to be a long, hot and very uneventful summer.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4934

I finally got the new phone configured. Why did I get this thing? It really doesn't seem that different than the old phone. With the phone and Apple Watch both updated to the latest operating systems, all I really notice is that the watch battery runs low even faster now. Sometimes I think the latest technology is of dubious value. I was probably happier with a clunky old Oki 900 cell phone and an ancient Mac running System 9.  

Our heat wave seems to have no end in sight. Even our sunrise walks with Dawn are pretty warm these days. These early walks are still the nicest part of the day. There is usually a nice breeze and it's easy to convince yourself that the day won't be that bad. We're starting to see lots more people on these early walks. I'm sure that almost everyone has discovered by now that just before sunrise is the only time worth going outside.

I returned to the gym after breakfast this morning. I still wonder how this place stays in business. It never seems crowded. I walked three miles around the indoor track and spent about twenty minutes on the basketball court, but I don't think I'll be able to close all three rings on my Apple Watch today. I didn't install the activity app correctly yesterday and it measured nothing last night and early this morning. Walking endlessly around a small indoor track is boring, but at least it's cool inside. I've noticed that almost everyone has a fixed routine that they follow. I guess I'm not the only one why does the same things over and over again. I should make more of an effort to improve myself while I'm working out. On most days I barely work up a sweat. I could do better, but it's far too easy to convince myself that I'm in great shape just because I'm not as fat as some of the other people walking around the track.

When I returned home I figured out how to get my phone paired with my car again. I'm glad Google exists, because I never would have figured this out on my own. I kept entering the wrong PIN number over and over again before I finally realized that this wasn't a number I used on my phone or computer. It was a special Land Rover number. I don't know why I made the effort to do this today. It's been ages since I've gotten a phone call while I was driving.

I don't do much in the afternoon these days. Cracks in the ceiling taunt me and I still haven't mastered the star tracker yet but the only thing that seems appealing is a long nap. I often wish I was working again, but I can't be bothered to look for new clients. I'm not even sure what I would have to offer. It's pretty easy to put up a decent looking website just using a template from GoDaddy. I'm sure there are other writing jobs out there, but the pay is minuscule. I'm happy enough just writing the occasional article for SpaceFlight Magazine. 

Janet took Dawn to training class tonight, but they came home early because it was too hot outside. I imagine that it will be too hot outside tomorrow as well. This seems like the hottest summer I can remember. I could be wrong, of course. I don't remember things as well as I used to.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4933

I got a new phone today. I'm already wishing I had the old phone back. In theory transfering everything from the old phone to the new phone was supposed to be a no brainer. In practice it was a little more difficult. Most things downloaded smoothly from my iCloud account. Everything connected using Bluetooth became unpaired though. The new phone wouldn't recognize my Apple Watch at all and I had to erase it and start over. I'm still trying to reconnect Bluetooth devices like my Fitbit and the petcam monitor. I'm sure I'll have to reconnect the new phone to my car as well. Was this worth it? Time will tell I guess. At least I'll be able to run a current operating system on my phone and Apple Watch again.

I should have just let the Apple Store people configure the phone for me. I had to learn the hard way that you have to unpair things from the old phone before you can pair them again with the new phone. There are no warning messages saying "still connected to your old phone" You just get a failure notice and a button that asks you to try again. I hit that try again button quite a few times before I realized that it wasn't going to work. I hope the iCloud saved all my passwords. This is going to get really tedious if I have to manually reenter passwords for all my apps.

I did do a few other things today. We took Dawn on a nice early morning walk and then I made the bed and ate my breakfast. It was even hotter today than yesterday. Usually the sun comes up on the final leg of our sunrise walk and you can instantly feel the temperature start to rise. It's still very humid outside too. Until this heat wave ends, I'm going to try my best to avoid outdoor chores and activities.

Heat wave or not, I'm still determined to get my steps. This probably means a daily trip to the gym. Today I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court. I probably had the energy to do more, but I got a late start today and still needed to go purchase the new phone before I headed home again. I need to quit worrying about Fitbit steps so much and concentrate on rebuilding my upper body strength. All the tools are there. I just need to use them. Maybe I can force myself to be a little more organized tomorrow. Unless a miracle happens with the weather, I'm sure I'll be back at the gym every day this week.

There are so many things I need to do around the house, but it's just too hot outside to deal with most of them. I'm sure I could repaint the trim around the edge of the roof myself, but I don't want to attempt this in triple digit temperatures. I don't wand to put a new screen on the screen door either. Lets face it, I don't really want to go outside again until Fall. Our sunrise walks with Dawn are still enjoyable, but we're probably going to have to start a little earlier on those as well. 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. With my luck I'll probably still be trying to reconnect apps on the new phone. When I eventually complete updating my phone and watch, the main computer is going to seem even slower. I don't even want to think about getting a new desktop computer though. Enough is enough. I can't afford any more big purchases anyway.

I'm hoping for an uneventful day tomorrow. It would be nice if it was a little cooler as well, but that's probably too much to hope for.

Rascal is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4930

Just a normal Saturday. We took Dawn on an early walk to avoid the heat, we had a big weekend breakfast, and then I got ready to do my grocery shopping. My grocery list was a little longer than usual today and I had to go to four different stores. I do my shopping earlier now, but the roads are still crowded. A lot of newcomers have moved to Dallas in recent years. A lot of them have apparently arrived recently because today I saw almost as many out of state plates on cars as Texas plates.

I'm really not fond of crowds. Every time I'm out and about, I grow nostalgic for the emptiness and wide open spaces of West Texas. Dallas is way too busy these days. I'm glad my working years are over. I'd hate fighting this traffic every day on the way to work. I got my shopping done as quickly as I could and headed back home. There are always surprises on my shopping run. I couldn't find my favorite brand of beer today and had to pick something else. I did find real whipping cream though, which has been in short supply recently.

It was too hot and humid to walk in the park this afternoon, so I headed back to the gym as soon as I put the groceries away. The gym was fairly empty this afternoon but there were people already using the basketball court so I didn't get to shoot baskets today. I walked around the indoor track until I got my Fitbit steps, worked on upper body strength with a few machines, and went back home again. It wasn't really a serious workout, but it was as good enough for me.

I'm still thinking about getting a new phone. There's nothing wrong with my current phone, but Janet's new phone has renewed my interest in getting something better. It isn't that hard to justify a new phone. It seems like I spend half my life using three Apple products. It's hard to imagine living without an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a computer anymore. I lived many, many years with any of these things and I'm not sure being connected had made my life better. I'll probably get the phone though. The newer cameras on these phones are great and there's an app for everything these days.

All my activity seems to take place in the morning lately. I finished all my shopping and was home from the gym before noon. I didn't do anything useful this afternoon. I wandered aimlessly around the house and took several short naps. There are definitely things that need attention, but it just seems too hot to start anything. I'm trying to decide whether to attempt painting the house myself. It's time. I've done this before but it's a messy job and I'm a lot older now. For now, I just keep looking at problem areas and wishing they'd go away.

I guess I'll go mall walking tomorrow. I discovered that my gym has reopened on Sundays now, but I've grown to like mall walking. Mall walking lets me observe the world without actually interacting with it. Maybe I need a weekly reminder of how silly and superficial our society has become. At least I've got a choice of things to do indoors now. Until this weather cools down a bit, it might be a while before I go walking in the park again.

Rio is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4674

We got the day started with another early walk this morning. I'm surprised at how many people are out this early. When we enter the park, we see lots of small lights in the distance. The brighter, fast moving lights are bicycles. The lights that move up and down are usually runners. Runners seems to like wearing little lights on their shoes. If a moving light is low to the ground is is a dog. The dogs often wear glowing LED collars. If someone wears an entire lighted vest, it's almost always an old person. A few people wear no lights at all. These are the ones you've got to watch out for. Especially the stealth bicycles. I don't think anyone would have any problems spotting us in the dark. Janet carries a flashlight and we both wear small lights on the back of our jackets. Dawn has a spiffy green LED collar.

After breakfast I wrote a letter to my sister and took it to the post office on my way to the gym. I always reply to my sister's letters even when I have little to say. We never talk on the phone and have always communicated through letters. I'm pretty sure I have been writing these letters for forty years now.

It was cool enough to take a walk in the park today, but I'm getting bored with these walks. It's nice to have a change of pace. I also enjoy shooting free throws on the basketball court and the indoor track is easier on my feet. If I go to the gym too frequently, I get bored with this as well. I guess I'll keep changing things up. They say variety is good for you. The important thing for me is to keep moving.

I tried a new machine at the gym this morning. It's called a vibration platform and it is designed to improve circulation and increase bone density. I think this machine can do many other things as well, but its ability to increase bone density with regular use was what caught my attention. Brittle bones and falls plague older people and the last thing I want is a broken hip. Improving bone density was one of the reasons I started walking in the first place. We'll see if using the vibration platform helps. I'm not sure how I'll measure any improvements though. My doctor is reluctant to give me any more bone density tests.

Since I went to the gym later today I didn't have to spend as much time doing nothing this afternoon. There are plenty of projects I could start around the house, but I'm doing my best to avoid them. Painting and sheetrock repairs are messy and I'm not terribly good at either of these activities. I'm not good at stopping roof leaks either, even though I've spent twenty years trying. I'm certainly as good as the roofers I've hired over the years. They haven't done a good job either. What can I say. I used to be a regular Mr. Fix-it around the house, but I've totally lost interest. Living in a little room at the Astronomer's Lodge sounds pretty good to me now.

Dawn still leaves the room every time I want to take a nap in the bedroom. She's fine about sharing the bed if Janet is in the room, but is still wary of me if we are alone in the house. I don't think this behavior is going to change, although Janet thinks the solution is for her to go on another cruise and leave me here with Dawn for two weeks. You know what they say about old dogs and new tricks. I'm very reluctant to do anything new myself. Why should I expect Dawn to be any different. 

Katy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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