Day 4863

I handle boredom very well, but these days are becoming a bit too uneventful even for me. I really need to come up with a plan to stay busier. I certainly used to stay busy. When I had aspirations to be a fashion photographer, I planned test shots for my portfolio almost every week. When I played in a band, there always seemed to be band practice. I tried almost every restaurant in town when I was eating out every Friday morning. I used to write and record my own songs and built a pretty decent little recording studio. None of these things seem interesting any more. I no longer collect art or hang out at model railroading stores. It's probably been thirty years since I made a documentary film. Where did all these interests go? Some people have a passion for something that lasts a lifetime. I tend to dabble.

I guess I should be glad that I still enjoy astronomy and chasing rockets. There are plenty of opportunities to attend launches, but I need to be selective since it costs a lot to travel to Kennedy Space Center. I actually got an invitation to a Starlink launch tomorrow morning. Looks like I'm going to miss that one. I thought about joining an astronomy club here in Dallas, but meetings are infrequent and tend to be far away. I've grown uncomfortable about driving at night in Dallas. Truthfully, I've grown uncomfortable even being outside at night in Dallas. The city doesn't feel safe anymore. The time I've spent out at McDonald Observatory has probably spoiled me for anything else. If I look up at the grey sky here in town it hardly seems worth the effort to drag a telescope outside.

In the absence of anything compelling, I continue to eat my meals in silence and take long walks. The long walks aren't that interesting, but they eat up a lot of time. They also make me feel better about taking care of my health. Without the long walks, I'm sure that I'd weigh more and have all sorts of nagging health issues. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I think I'm pretty healthy. Today's walk was pleasant enough. It was cloudy outside and the temperature was warm. My pace was terrible though. This was one of the slowest walks I've done in over a month. At least all the ducks and geese were accounted for. I still count ducks.

I played phone tag with the roofers today. They'd call me and then I'd call them back. We never did manage to connect. The fact that they are trying to contact me indicates that they'd like to get started soon. I need to find out how long this is going to take. As soon as I set a date, I'm sure there will be an interesting launch in Florida and I'll need to reschedule. I don't like having workmen around the house either, but without a roofing crew there will be no new roof. When I owned rental property I used to spend a lot more time dealing with repairs and renovations. This is one more thing that no longer interests me. Truthfully, I'm more comfortable living in a hotel these days.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. I still need to pick up my unsold gear at the guitar store and take it to the storage warehouse. Maybe I'll finally hear something definite about the Viasat-3 launch. Dawn finally seems to be warming up to me. That's a good thing. Tonight I took a nap on the bed while Janet was away and Dawn didn't even leave the room. Hey, I guess that's progress.

Mattie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4588

We are well on our way towards having the worst summer of all time. There are so many triple digit days ahead of us in the weather forecast that chances are good that we will set an all time record soon. It's not a good sign when you start to sweat on a pre-dawn walk with your dog. Our sunrise walk wasn't that bad though and we got Dawn back to the house before it got too hot. My long walk after breakfast was quite a bit worse. I managed to complete my entire route and was back at the house before 10:30 AM. The walk still wore me out though. Janet says I ought to go mall walking when my gym is closed. Actually, it's a pretty good idea. Walking around Northpark Mall on a hot day would probably be more interesting than walking around the indoor track at the gym.

Dawn got her Sunday outing, but we didn't do much walking. We just let her out of the car for a few minutes at the Sunday park to smell things and then headed straight for the ice cream store. I don't know why the store picked National Ice Cream day to raise their prices, but they did. It was so hot that the ice cream was a little soft. It seemed a bit like Dairy Queen soft serve, but it was still good. 

Since I definitely didn't want to go outside again, I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to upgrade the star tracker. There always seems to be an app upgrade or new firmware available for this thing, but I'm usually very apprehensive to install it. Once burned, twice shy I guess. I should have known that this latest firmware upgrade would break my camera connection again. I've been through this before. Benro sends me a custom software patch that fixes the problem and then a few days later there is a new firmware update that breaks things all over again. It's a good thing I don't actually need this star tracker. I've spent hours and hours testing this thing, but have only used it once to photograph the night sky on my last trip out to McDonald Observatory. I guess all these problems are par for the course for being a beta tester. It's frustrating though. I don't know why the company keeps trying to upgrade this product. It seemed to work fine to me several months ago.

Dawn has finally realized that I am not a threat when I nap on the bed with her. We coexist on the bed pretty well now. When I decide to take a nap, she no longer gets up and leaves the room. She doesn't even look alarmed. You can tell Dawn is starting to worry when her ears are laid back. When they are relaxed, she is fine. It's a good thing that Dawn is finally warming up to me. I can appreciate why she likes staying on the bed. The room is cool and the bed is comfortable. It's too bad I can't hibernate like a bear. I'd like to just take a very long nap until this heat wave is over.

Janet fixed a great dinner tonight. I'm glad she likes to cook because I sure don't. I do like to eat though and it was a nice way to end a very hot day. Tomorrow we'll go visit the rescue Dalmatians again. I think we need to take Spot back to the vet although I'm not sure why. I hope he rides well in the car because it's my turn to drive this week. I don't think I'll attempt another walk in the park. I'll probably go to the gym when we get back from the kennel. I'd still rather hibernate like a bear until this horrible summer is over. Jeez. When are we going to get some rain?

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4579

Another hot day. It's really hard for me to get motivated in this weather. I kind of envy Dawn's ability to sleep for most of the day. There's a whole list of things I need to do, but I keep postponing things. I need to schedule my car for a recall service. I hate dealing with the dealership now, so I keep putting this off. 

I need to retrieve a few things I put on consignment at a guitar store several years ago. I haven't talked to the place since before Covid started and I know my stuff hasn't sold yet. The electronic gear will just go to my storage warehouse, but if I don't do anything, the store might go out of business and the stuff could just disappear. 

I really need to start calling people about repairs to the house, but living in a house while renovations are going on is one of the worst things I can think of. There are doctors appointment I need to make and I need a haircut again. I could go on, but you get the picture. It's easier to just do nothing.

I went back to the gym again after breakfast. If it gets any hotter, it's going to be too warm for our sunrise walk with Dawn. It's definitely too warm for doing yard work during the day. Going to the gym reminds me of the Groundhog Day movie. Everything is always the same. The same people are always there and are doing the same exercise routines. The place is nice and cool though. It must cost a fortune to keep the giant room as cold as they do. When I watch the same people do the same exercises on the same machines day after day, I realize that most people's lives are more or less like mine. Everyday life is not always exciting. Most things we do are repetitious and often boring.

I think spending nine days alone with Dawn has changed things a bit. We seem to get along better now. Dawn comes when I call now and seems to be content to share the bed with me. I took a long nap this afternoon and she was right there with me. Dawn is still more excited when Janet is in the house, but I am no longer someone to fear. I hope this continues. Life will be a lot easier if Dawn starts treating Janet and I the same way.

My sister reads a lot and I asked her for a few recommendations. Now she wants to send me boxes of books she's already read. I need to send her pictures of my office. Our house is already filled with bookshelves and there isn't room for anything more. There are books in the storage warehouse too. Sadly, I really don't read that much anymore. Three or four books would probably keep me busy for the rest of the year.

Food and gasoline aren't the only things that are getting more expensive. I paid some utility bills today and every one of them was higher than expected. I can't think of a single thing that is actually getting cheaper these days. If I was still working, I could raise my own rates, but that's not going to happen. I learned quite a few years ago that the kids working in ad agencies these days don't want to hire their grandfather. Too bad the stock market is also taking a hit. It's kind of like a perfect storm of bad news.

A lot of people on my Facebook feed are getting Covid. Why now? I thought the pandemic was supposed to be winding down. It makes me wonder if I'll eventually get Covid myself. I've probably escaped so far because I'm not around other people very much. Avoiding people still seems like a good plan to me, but my luck could run out at any point. It's probably not good to dwell on thoughts like this. It's a crazy world. My luck could run out driving to the gym or even walking in the park.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4578

Today was just like yesterday. Tomorrow will probably be the same. I'm not happy with this heat wave, but what are you going to do. It's summer in Texas. I think it's been this hot before, but I mostly remember last summer, which seemed much cooler.

I've pretty much given up on walking in the park for a while. We still take our sunrise walk with Dawn, but even that is getting a little too warm. I always go outside after I finish breakfast to evaluate the weather and I'm not even tempted to take my long walk. It's just too hot.

I returned to the gym this morning and might keep going for the rest of the summer. When I used to just go to the gym on Sunday I was always surprised that so many people chose the same day as me. Now I realize that these people go every day. Some of the regulars seem to live there. If I go in the morning, they are there, and if I go in the afternoon, they are still there. I never stay more than two hours. On an average day, it's more like an hour and a half.

My routine is pretty simple these days. I shoot free throws on the basketball court until I get fifteen baskets. Sometimes this goes quickly and other times it takes a while. Next, I walk long enough on the indoor track to get my steps for the day. If Dawn takes a decent walk in the morning, I walk two miles. If Dawn doesn't feel like walking, I walk three miles. I spend a little time working with free weights before I go home. Today I used a machine where you sit on a bench and pull down on a weighted horizontal bar. I'm trying to stretch my bad shoulder a bit and get some more mobility. At first I couldn't use this machine at all because I couldn't raise my right arm above my head high enough to reach the bar. I'm getting better though. One benefit of going to this gym is that I can watch what all the physical therapists are doing with their patients and then do some of the same things myself. It's a nice gym and I could do a lot more, but mostly I'm just here to keep my Fitbit happy and get those steps.

I should have stayed inside when I returned home, but the spiderwebs on the windows continue to bug me and I decided to finish cleaning the windows. I only do a few windows each day so I won't get too hot. Our house has a lot of windows and spiders seem to love them. I think this is because lights from the house attract bugs in the evening and spiders build webs to catch the bugs. I always carry one can with window cleaner and another can with wasp spray when I am cleaning windows. Little by little I am getting rid of the wasp nests, but there are a lot of them. I think I'm making progress. The bedroom windows look a lot better when I'm taking a nap anyway.

I think Dawn has turned a corner with me. She no longer leaves the room when I'm in the bedroom during the day. We share the bed quite peaceably now. Maybe after spending nine days with me, she finally realized that I am not a threat to her. Dawn is also comfortable walking to the meadow behind our house with me now. She won't take a longer walk unless Janet is with me, but I think we are making progress. Janet seems pleased with this situation. I think she is eager to travel again.

I'm surprised that the week has gone so quickly since basically nothing has happened. This week's trash has been taken to the curb and I think I've remembered which parts of the yard needed to be watered. Maybe something interesting will happen soon, but I'm not counting on it.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4571

It's hard to believe that it's already the last day of June. Where has this year gone? It feels more of a survival year than a year filled with milestones, but maybe surviving in these times actually is a milestone. 

I'm certainly getting plenty of sleep lately, but Dawn had me worried for a little bit last night. I woke up feeling the mattress vibrating and it was caused by Dawn shivering and shaking. She then sat up and it looked like she was going to throw up. I got some towels out of the bathroom because I knew I probably wouldn't be able to get her to move. Then I sat with her for a while and she calmed down and went back to sleep as if nothing had happened. I used to think her shaking was just fear, but now I'm wondering if she might have had a mild seizure. Dawn has had a seizure before when we first got her, but it was much milder than those experienced by some of our other dogs. Maybe I worry too much. Shivering and shaking at times seems to be part of Dawn's personality. She even does this when Janet is home.

We didn't get an early start today, but I still took my long walk in the park. I just don't feel like going to the gym or driving anywhere. Dawn and I have established a pretty good daily routine. I always make sure to take care of all the morning events before I leave on my walk. Dawn seems happy with this arrangement. I don't even try to get her to come out to the kitchen for breakfast anymore. She likes me bringing her breakfast back to her in the bedroom. I guess it's a dogs equivalent of breakfast in bed.

We really need some rain. The park is looking pretty dry right now. Our yard is OK, but that's because I've been more diligent about watering the grass. There isn't a lot to look at in the park now. I'm basically just walking to get my steps. I'm always surprised to see quite a few other people out walking or running on hot days like this. Texans must love punishment. I managed to keep up a pretty good pace today. I still can't figure out why I walk faster outdoors than on the more comfortable indoor track at the gym.

I've been trying to get clarification from NASA about my status for the upcoming Artemis-1 launch. The whole process has been more difficult than I thought it would be. People's job descriptions change frequently at the space center and when I'm finally able to connect with someone, it's usually the wrong person. I usually get the name of another person to contact and the whole process begins again. At least I'm getting answers to my e-mails now. For a while it felt like my mail was just going into a black hole. I think I've still got plenty of time to get credentialed. This launch has been postponed so many times that I wouldn't be surprised if it was postponed again. The current schedule is for a late August or early September launch. We'll have to see.

Dawn doesn't get upset when I take naps in the bedroom now. I can stay for an indefinite length of time and she just continues her own napping. With each passing day, she seems to show a little less fear. That's why I'm thinking that last night's episode might have been a very mild seizure instead of a panic attack. We're still a long way from becoming best buddies, but we're getting along. Dawn is definitely a survivor. She's been through a lot worse than this in her past life. I wish she knew what I knew. Janet is coming back and we are well past the halfway point in the vacation.

I didn't watch a movie this afternoon. I can't say that I did anything productive, but the day went quickly. I may have to go to the grocery store tomorrow. I've still got some of the pot roast left, but the refrigerator is looking pretty empty. I'm kind of hooked on having a salad with dinner now and I need to get some fresh greens. I may need to get some more milk for my cereal as well. Such excitement. Maybe this is why fewer people are reading the blog these days.

I've taken this weeks trash out to the curb and the can seemed almost empty. Not much trash this week. It's kind of amazing how much more activity there is around the house when Janet is home. No wonder Dawn seemed bored.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4440

Today was busy. We started out with a fairly long sunrise walk with Dawn. She likes walking along the shoreline now and had a good time smelling things. As usual, it was cold when we left the house this morning but it warmed up quickly. By the time we returned home for breakfast, I already felt like shedding my heavy coat.

Grocery shopping is always interesting these days. I pay more attention to prices now. I had to fill my tank and gas is definitely more expensive than last week. A tub of strawberries that was $2.95 six months ago is now $7.95. A bottle of Tide liquid that was $17 not long ago is now $24. My Keurig coffee pods have gone up quite a bit as well. Even bottled water is much more expensive than it used to be. At least the beer I like is still the same price. That's probably just because it was too expensive to begin with.

The weather was so warm this afternoon that I finally decided to wash my car. The car looks nice now which almost guarantees that it will rain the next time I have to take it out of the driveway. I also cleared the carport and front porch of leaves again. Every time I do this I think I'm done for the year, but the leaves keep coming. I don't know where they are coming from. There haven't been any leaves on the trees for quite a while now. Out last windstorm took care of the few remaining ones. We've already removed most of the leaves from the back yard. There are still some in the side yards, but we'll take care of those before next month's big trash day.

I don't know why I bothered to take my long walk today. By the time I finished my grocery shopping and household chores, I'd already had plenty of activity. I should have been content with 10,000 steps and rested my feet a bit, but long walks have become a compulsion. Without my persistent foot pain, today would have been a great day for walking. The sky was clear and the temperature was unusually warm for February. It was over 70 degrees this afternoon. I just wore a t-shirt and jeans on my walk and probably could have gotten away with wearing shorts. I don't think this will last unfortunately. I believe another cold front is headed our way later this week.

I hope Google isn't abandoning my blogging platform. Yesterday I has a lot of trouble adding pictures to my post and today I noticed that my blogspot layout is all screwed up. Hopefully this is just a temporary glitch. After I've made this big commitment to post for 5,000 consecutive days it would be just my luck that Google blogs don't last that long.

Janet had a volunteer event today so this was a good time for Dawn and I to get to know each other a little better. Dawn wasn't pleased about the situation, but she's actually been pretty good with me. I've been able to feed her meals and get her to take her meds. When it's time for her to go outside and pee, she's come to the door when I call. She even stayed on the bed with me when I took a short nap this afternoon. We aren't best buddies yet, but this is encouraging. We've got a long way to go before Janet leaves on her Spring trip, but I think we're making progress.

Hopefully, the weather will be as nice tomorrow as it was today. It's always a pleasant surprise to have great weather in February. We'll plan on having our Sunday outing with Dawn. Of course there'll be ice cream.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4351

It appears that people have forgotten about John Kennedy. November 22 used to get a lot of news coverage, especially locally. Tons of people used to converge on Dealey Plaza on this day, either to pay their respects to Kennedy or to trade the latest conspiracy theories. Back when I first moved here, I visited Dealey Plaza several times on November 22. I haven't been down there in years, but at the time it seemed like an interesting event to photograph. There were still a lot of old timers who had actually been there on that fateful day. Some of them had little booths selling pamphlets claiming to tell you what really happened. There was always a lot of talk about the Grassy Knoll and the mysterious second gunman. I imagine that most of these people are dead now. I also imagine that there weren't nearly as many people at Dealey Plaza today. A new generation of conspiracy theorists have bigger fish to fry these days.

We didn't visit the Dalmatians today. The holiday week has already started for many and that means a lot more people are boarding their dogs while they travel to visit relatives for Thanksgiving. The room where we typically play with the dogs is transformed into additional boarding space during the holidays and we would just get in the way. We'll be back as soon as things quiet down a bit. We'll be visiting the kennel a lot during the holidays anyway. It's also the location of our Santa Paws Christmas photo events.

With the Santa Paws events in mind, I went to REI today and got a trekking pole. Trekking poles are just a fancy high tech version of a cane. Usually they are collapsible so they will fit in a backpack when you aren't using them. I thought one of these poles in the collapsed position would be perfect for helping me get off the floor when I'm down on my knees photographing small dogs. We'll see how this works. It may turn out to be another stupid idea.

While I was at REI I saw a Fitfit on sale and got that as well. So much for yesterday's post bragging about no longer having a desire to buy things. Oh, well. I did need the Fitbit though. I'm hooked on tracking my activity and my old Fitbit is ready to give up the ghost. The battery is just about gone and I have to charge it every day now. One disappointing thing about the new Fitbit is that it expects me to be even more active than the old one. Give me a break. I move slow. I don't think I'll ever get my heart rate up to 180 BPM.

Today was another nice day, but it is very hard to dress for this type of weather. Typically it is quite chilly when we take Dawn on her sunrise walk. I always wear a ski jacket and a wool hat for this walk. It warms up quickly after the sun comes up, so I only need a very light jacket on my long walk. Usually after I've completed a few miles, I get hot and have to take the jacket off and tie it around my waist. It was easier to dress in the summer when I just wore a t-shirt and shorts, but of course then I was always hot.

I'm looking forward to going out for dinner on Thanksgiving. Covid put an end to the extravagant buffet/brunches that some restaurants and hotels served on Thanksgiving. We were actually surprised to find that a few places that have have resumed the tradition this season. It's about time. We've been to this place before but it's been a while. Hopefully the food is still good.

I keep hoping that Dawn will bond with me soon. Janet is going on a cruise with her relatives in about six months. Dawn and I need to be best buddies by then. We've still got a ways to go.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day