Day 4916

Why do grocery stores keep changing the location of everything? It's irritating. They must think you will buy more if you have to search for the items on your shopping list. I couldn't find the aisle with all the spices this morning, so getting more pepper will have to wait until next week. Wherever you go, there are fewer and fewer cashiers and more self-checkout stations. Central Market just replaced a large section of cashier stations with self-checkout machines. I ended up in this section by mistake and will make a point not to go there again. The new machines weren't working correctly and kept ringing up the items I scanned twice. You couldn't correct this mistake yourself. You had to wait for someone from the store to come reset the machine. These machines won't let you buy alcohol without an employee checking your ID either. Good grief. Even a machine should know that I'm 75 years old.

I'm not totally against automation. I like the app that Walmart and Sam's Club use to let you bypass the checkout line. You scan the items on your phone as you are shopping. This is much easier than rows of self checkout stations near the exit. I don't think this trend is going to end any time soon. Pretty soon there won't be a need for employees in stores at all.

There were lots of severe weather warnings for today, but once again we didn't get any rain at all. I keep planning to go to the gym, but always end up taking my long walk because I'm tired of driving. With all the warnings about large hail I didn't want to risk leaving my car out in the open either. It was hot and humid today but that didn't stop me. I trudged along, completing my regular route at a very slow pace. Truthfully, I've grown tired of taking a long walk every day, but these walks are still preferable to other exercise alternatives. I'd probably gain ten pounds if I quit walking entirely.

I have quit thinking about switching from cable TV to a streaming service. It's easier to just pay a bit more and stick with something familiar. The experimenting I did yesterday convinced me that streaming is a bit of a nuisance. I don't watch TV that much, but I still like using a regular remote to change channels. Oddly our TV has a built-in Alexa which I have never activated. I think you are supposed to talk to your TV and tell it what you want to watch. Not for me. I'm becoming more an more like my Dad. He refused to use computers and used an old manual typewriter for most of his life. Maybe is is natural to become resistant to change as you grow older. Why relearn something you already know?

I got a press proof of my article about the AX-2 Mission from my editor at SpaceFlight. The article looks nice and they used four of the launch pictures I took. Whenever I see these articles in print, it makes me want to do more of this type of thing. I don't have any strong desires these days, but writing about rockets and attending launches at Kennedy Space Center is enjoyable. It's not a good way to make money though. None of the launch photographers I know are getting rich. Hmm. Is this a hobby or an occupation? It's hard to tell sometimes.

The weather is supposed to be much nicer tomorrow. I'll go mall walking in the morning and then we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. It doesn't bother me that we do the same thing every week. Actually it's kind of comforting.

Escher is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

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 4862

As soon as we finished walking Dawn this morning, I turned on the computer and watched the Starship orbital launch attempt on the Space X live feed. I wasn't terrible surprised when the launch got scrubbed at the last minute. A lot can go wrong with something this complicated. At any rate, I'm glad I didn't drive down to Boca Chica to see the launch in person. The people who did make the trip are probably wondering now whether to stay for another attempt, or cut their losses and go home. Space X has not scheduled another attempt yet, so waiting is a gamble. Chasing rockets is complicated and can often end up being much more expensive than you'd planned. I guess it's worth it though. I'm still planning on going to Florida for the upcoming Viasat-3 launch. That one got delayed again today as well.

Our nice Spring weather continues. It's always a little chilly on our sunrise walk with Dawn, but the temperature rises quickly. By the time I'm ready for my daily long walk, I can usually change into shorts and a t-shirt. It's weird to see the temperature change so dramatically in just a few hours, but luckily the high temperature for the day is still very pleasant. I could probably put my time to better use, but a long walk seems essential now. Without my daily walk, I would end up spending even more time doing unavoidable chores around the house. 

Today's chores were changing the sheets on the bed and pulling weeds in the yard. I think that bulky trash pick up is tomorrow, so I wanted to get a few more things out to the curb before the trucks arrived. I tried to clean up the front yard today. The yard still doesn't look great, but I can see a definite improvement. When I'm doing yard work I often think about getting a yard service like the other neighbors, but I never do anything. The yard is small and I do need the exercise. 

The roofers want to get started on replacing the roof. I guess we might as well get this over with, but I'm not eager to spend a lot of money on something I can't even see. Getting a new roof is the key to fixing up the house. It makes no sense to repair stained sheetrock or replace carpets and paint until the leaks are eliminated. Sometimes I think it would be easier just to move, but we already live where we want to be. This is definitely the best part of town to have a dog. At any rate, the roof replacement is on my radar now. The work will probably begin within the next several weeks.

It seems like I'm spending more and more time dealing with spam these days. I get multiple spam phone calls, spam text messages, and spam e-mail every day. I never answer the phone anymore unless I recognize the number on the caller ID. When I get spam text messages I immediately block the caller. A lot of these messages get blocked by service providers before I even see them, but quite a few seem to get through. I feel like I am under siege. Who are these people and why are they making such an effort to deceive me? If a message on my caller ID says "suspected spam," why does the phone company even bother to put it through?

Tomorrow will be another day very much like today. Will I do anything different? Probably not. I really should have made plans to go out to the observatory for Dark Sky Week, but it's too late for that now. I'll think of something. Maybe I'll wash the car.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4769

No launch today. The USSF-67 Mission was scrubbed right after lunch and will be rescheduled for tomorrow. I began to suspect that something might be wrong when we went out to the launch pad and the rocket wasn't vertical yet. There's a lot that still needs to be done once the rocket is vertical on the pad and they were running out of time. Space X had no real explanation for the delay. They just said that the rocket wasn't ready yet.

These type of delays happen surprisingly frequently. They are frustrating but there is nothing you can do when a launch is scrubbed. I scrambled quickly and changed all my reservations. I got the last seat on a Monday flight to Dallas and was able to extend my stay at the Airbnb as well. I've got plenty of time, but the trip will be more expensive than I was planning on.

At least the weather is still good for tomorrow. The wind is dying down as well. Hopefully these are good omens. It will still be very cold unfortunately. The weather forecast says it will be 34 degrees at sunrise tomorrow morning. Yikes. I was already freezing this morning when the temperature was 37 degrees. This is two coat weather for me and unfortunately I only brought one coat with me. Temperatures this low are rare for this part of Florida. I guess the weather is crazy everywhere these days.

Since there was no launch today, I went out to the Canaveral National Seashore instead. It's a beautiful place and I always like to visit when I've got the time. You can see the space center from the beach and I noticed that the Falcon Heavy rocket is vertical now. That's another good sign. There were a few brave souls swimming in the ocean today. This seemed strange since a lot of people on the shore were wearing parkas. Who knows. Maybe the ocean water was warmer than the air.

My diet always suffers when I travel. I had barbecue for lunch and a hamburger for dinner. I have no willpower. I guess I could have ordered a salad, but restaurant salad dressings are full of fat as well. I'm really glad that Janet fixes healthy meals. She's probably added years to my life. My original plan was to fix all my own meals at the Airbnb, but boredom set in and I went to a restaurant instead. We'll see if I can stay more disciplined tomorrow and Monday. Probably not.

I'm always surprised at how many changes take place between my trips to Kennedy Space Center. They've moved the Artemis mobile launch platform outside and are beginning to refurbish it for the next Artemis flight. Space X has almost finished the giant Starship launch tower standing next to launch complex 39A. There are rumors that they are planning on building a second Starship launch site as well. Blue Origin keeps adding to their huge manufacturing facility near the visitor center, but I'm not sure if they're actually making anything yet. It may not be like the Apollo days, but there's a lot going on down here.

I'm glad I don't have to get up early tomorrow. I'll probably sleep in. I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow morning, or Monday after the launch for that matter. It's really quiet here at the Airbnb. I'll probably end up going to the Press Site way too early tomorrow and end up sitting in my car again to stay warm. I still can't get over how cold it is in Florida. I hope the launch is successful tomorrow. This is a long trip to make if nothing happens.

Kasey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day