Day 1845

The sun finally returned today. It's still a bit chilly, but it was actually a beautiful day. The abrupt change in the weather made me realize that it was time to start the new year. I took down the Christmas tree and put the ornaments away for another year. I went up on the roof and removed a week's worth of accumulated water. I even thought about cleaning the office, but wisely decided not to get ahead of myself.

I've just about given up on getting a response from Jawbone, so I went out and purchased another UP fitness band. This one syncs automatically using Bluetooth, so you don't have to plug it into your phone everyday. I must be a glutton for punishment, since this will be my fourth UP band in just a few years. I love these things, but they just aren't made very well. The batteries don't last very long. The little LED status lights frequently stop working. And, in the case of my last band, they sometimes refuse to go into sleep mode. You'd think I'd wise up and get a Fitbit or something more durable, but I still like the UP band best. It is still the smallest and most unobtrusive fitness tracker you can wear on your wrist. You can wear an UP band with a watch without feeling that you've got a watch on both wrists. And best of all, Jawbone has easily got the best smart phone app to track your results. It's just too bad the company hasn't figured out a way to make these clever little gadgets last more than a year.

I guess I'm officially in the loop for the upcoming launch of the SMAP satellite. I'm starting to get e-mail from my contact at the Jet Propulsion Lab and was invited to join a recently created Facebook group where other people attending the launch can share information. I still haven't made any travel arrangements, but that's on my list for next week. It was kind of unnerving to see that there was snow in Southern California last week, but hopefully the weather will improve by the time I depart. The weather has always been fabulous whenever I've visited the Los Angeles area and I'd hate to break a winning streak.

The range of motion on my right arm is increasing, now that I've been doing the stretching exercises that are supposed to loosen up the muscles in my bad shoulder. Unfortunately, the shoulder still hurts just as much as it always has. I wonder if I've really proved anything if all I can do is painfully extend both hands all the way above my head. Maybe I'm just not being patient enough. I don't really like to exercise and exercise that causes pain is even worse. I'm going to ask my physical therapist if they offer cold laser therapy like Dot is currently getting. The laser treatments seem to be helping Dot, and it certainly seems like I ought to be able to get the same kind of care as my dog.

I had to get some prescriptions renewed this afternoon and I noticed that the price of several drugs had gone up almost 40%. Every year, my drug plan adjusts prices in January and they never go down. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. We're only a few days into 2015 so far, and I'm trying to remain optimistic.

Chase is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1270

I think the roof is finished. Today, the roofers spent their time doing small stuff like painting and caulking. They explained why water leaked through the kitchen door the other day and said they fixed the problem. They explained how they managed to kill a big patch of grass in the front yard, but promised it would grow back. I expect they'll return next week to haul away the huge pile of debris in the side yard, but I doubt that I'll see much more work up on the roof.

I hope this long, involved, and expensive process was worth it. I'm certain the roof will be waterproof for a while, but I don't think I'll know whether I got a really good roof until three or four years from now. Between now and then, it's just a lot of of hope and empty promises.

My beloved Jawbone UP band went kaput today and I had to take it to the Apple store to exchange it. I've only had the activity band for a few months, but I've been reading on the Internet that hundreds of people have been having the same problem that I am. It's the battery. It initially holds a charge for ten days. Then you start noticing that it will only hold a charge for five days. After about three months, things get worse rapidly. Yesterday, the UP band would only hold a charge for an hour or two, no matter how long I tried to recharge it. It's a shame that such an innovative product is so unreliable. The first version of the UP activity tracker was a disaster. The company had to recall just about every model it sold. Now the second version of the product seems as if it's going to suffer the same fate. If a non-replaceable battery is only going to last three months in a product that costs hundreds of dollars, I don't think many people are going to be all that excited to buy it.

I still haven't managed to get caught up with my work yet. I spent the day revising websites and writing articles, just like I usually do, but there is still a lot of uncompleted business. Maybe I'll work this weekend and see it I can get things finished. I don't like to work on weekends, but I dislike unfinished projects even more.

I noticed that the power company crew cut down part of a tree in my backyard when they were restoring the power last night. I guess they needed better access to the telephone pole where they replaced a transformer. Or maybe they just don't like tree limbs anywhere near their wires.All I know is that whenever a power company crew comes near the house, I lose a few more tree limbs.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. The weather looks nice and I definitely could use a little rest. I was so tired this week that I literally fell asleep sitting at the computer a few times. It would be so much better if I slept well at night, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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