Day 3878

I got asked to join a Zoom reunion with some old classmates today. Hmm. I've never used Zoom. I've heard about Zoom meetings on the news, but I don't even have the application on my computer. I have no desire to install it either. I guess I'm officially a Luddite. I have no interest whatsoever in this sort of thing. I'm glad I retired well before Zoom meetings became mandatory in a post-pandemic world. Jeez. I didn't even like conference calls years ago. Why would you want to add a camera to a conference call?

We got started on our morning walk in the dark again. It's weird walking this early. There aren't many people out, but we certainly aren't alone in the park. Cyclists seem to get an earlier start than joggers. The main reason we take a flashlight is so these guys won't mow us down in the dark. Cyclists are relentless and don't slow down for anything. Before the sky started to lighten, we saw what looked like an odd, very slow bicycle moving in the distance. As we got closer, we realized that what looked like bicycle wheels were actually two dogs with red lights on their collars and the third light we thought was a rider was a lighted bracelet on the wrist of the woman walking the dogs. When joggers started to appear on the trails, many of them had little LED lights on their arms and legs as well. Some of the lights were red and green as if the joggers were trying to emulate the port and starboard lights on boats. Maybe Janet and I are even Luddites about walking in the dark. All we had was a flashlight.

My days continue to be slow and uneventful. Maybe this is why blog readership has gone down. Nothing to see here. Very few people read blogs anyway. They're all out doing podcasts and having Zoom meetings. Even some of my space and astronomy friends have their own podcasts now. When did things change? I remember when blogs were very popular. Lots of people used to write blogs. Of course I remember when everything on the Internet was just text because it took too much bandwidth to send a picture. I wonder if Usenet news groups still exist? There were thousands of groups and not a single picture among them. Those were the days. Luddites tend to be nostalgic. We long for manual typewriters, film cameras, and those old brick cell phones.

When we walk really early, we've noticed that the ducks and geese are typically on the water. Later, when the sun comes up they return to the shore. This makes me wonder what the ducks do at night. Do they swim around all night? Are they nocturnal like the coyotes? I guess this will always be a mystery. I'm certainly not going down to the park at midnight to investigate.

Tomorrow I get a haircut. It's about time. I haven't had a haircut since last March. If this goes well I might start going to the gym again. I'm still very careful and tend to avoid people altogether, but this virus is going to be with us for a long time. We've all got to figure out what kind of risk we can tolerate. I'll take one of the good masks with me tomorrow. The masks I wear to the grocery store and get gas are basically worthless.

I've taken the trash out to the curb and am ready for another early morning walk. There are no Friday morning breakfast restaurant outings anymore. Such is life in the new normal.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3810

It was nice to see something positive today. The Crew Dragon launch was flawless. It was amazing how clean and futuristic the capsule looked. Somehow the two astronauts even managed a change of clothes a few hours after liftoff. I wonder how long before scenes like this become commonplace again. I'll have to remember to watch TV again tomorrow when the capsule arrives at the space station. Maybe I'll get to see one of these launches in person someday. The world has to return to normal eventually.

Normalcy is already returning to Dallas. There are no lines at stores anymore. The grocery store wasn't even crowded this morning. It's still impossible to find Clorox wipes, but almost everything else was on the shelves. I wonder how long we will continue wearing masks? If there isn't a huge surge in new infections two or three weeks from now, I predict they will slowly disappear. We'll probably be like Asian countries where some people will always wear them. I'll probably ditch mine later this Summer as the virus fades from the news.

Of course, maybe it doesn't fade from the news. Maybe all the large crowds we are seeing on TV will trigger a whole new wave of outbreaks. Almost anything could happen in a year like 2020. I'm just waiting for hurricane season to start.

The weather is still very pleasant. We had a nice walk with Dawn this morning. We started before 7 AM, but there were already a lot of joggers and cyclists in the park. More people must be working again, because weekends are starting to feel different than weekdays. As the day grew warmer, large groups gathered in the park for picnics and play. I'm sure people are still being diagnosed with coronavirus in area hospitals. There are probably protests in town as well. Nevertheless, it still seemed pretty much like a normal Saturday in Dallas. Normal is good. We need a lot more normal.

I wasted a lot of time watching the launch on TV today. This stuff never gets old for me. I wondered whether the black boots the astronauts wore are actually part of the spacesuit, or were more like the rubber garden boots I wear on rainy days. Maybe the white space suit was under these boots. I wonder whether toy stores are already sold out of sparkly toy dinosaurs? I was surprised to see that one of the astronauts wore glasses. I guess perfect vision isn't a requirement. It's amazing these rockets even work at all. They are so complicated. My car doesn't even work all the time. Neither does my computer.

I went out and brought home a large pizza for dinner. Pizza and beer, a friendly dog looking for table scraps, a warm Spring evening, and a rocket launch. Sounds like a good day to me.

Ollie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3799

If I told you that it is hard to differentiate one day from another it wouldn't be news. I'm sure you've heard this before. You've probably heard it from me before. When we take our walk with Dawn in the morning I look for things that have changed. We watch the progress of a road construction crew we see along the way. It take longer than I thought to build a road. We're seeing sailboats on the lake again. Why weren't they there before? I wonder if the sailing club was shut down or considered nonessential? It wouldn't make sense to ban boats on a lake, but then nothing really makes sense these days. The White Pelicans are gone, but one stayed behind just like last year. I wonder if it is the same bird? I think about these things because there isn't much else on my mind.

It's definitely getting warmer. The temperature was in the low 90's for the second day in a row. By walking very early we are still able to keep Dawn from getting overheated, but those days are numbered. I've never been a fan of Texas summers. Hey, at least we had a nice long Spring. It's been a wet spring as well and everything is very green.

Janet continues to take Dawn on short trips in the car in hopes of getting her used to traveling. If Dawn wasn't fearful of car travel, we could take short day trips with her. Janet tries to do something pleasant on each of these trips so Dawn will eventually look forward to getting in the car. It's a work in progress. Today they went to get ice cream at a local custard stand. Dawn apparently loves frozen custard. Maybe we'll take her to Keller's next and get hamburgers. We use to do this with Spot and it was one of his favorite things.

I still check my e-mail each morning, hoping to hear good news about two yet to be published articles. In addition to the upcoming Sky and Telescope article, there is another article about my visit to the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans that I'm waiting on as well. Both of these articles have been approved for publication, but waiting on them to appear in print is testing my patience. I need some sort of positive affirmation that I'm making progress.

I need a haircut, an oil change for the car, and new walking shoes, but I have little desire to leave the house. I'm not that worried about catching the virus, but somehow the pandemic has made me even more reclusive than I was before. Now that I've become more familiar with online banking and shopping there is no compelling reason to get in the car and go anywhere.

I do have a doctor's appointment tomorrow that is unavoidable. Since it is a mid-morning appointment, I'll either have to skip breakfast or my morning walk with Dawn. It's hard to say which will be more important when I wake up tomorrow morning. I have a feeling that the walk will win. I haven't really been that hungry lately.

It will be interesting to see how things go at the dermatologist. They said to wear a mask to my appointment, but the patch on my skin that they are supposed to examine is actually covered by the mask. I'm sure the doctor will want me to remove it and I'll break the earloop like I always do. I'd better take a spare with me. It's all part of the new normal.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3788

Fake news isn't limited to politics. If you try to fix a computer using online tips and suggestions, you will encounter an almost unlimited amount of nonsense. It's frustrating to wade through inept YouTube videos, argumentative user forums, and out-of-date manufacturer tutorials, but you can still learn a lot. That's how I spent my morning. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong in yesterday's botched computer upgrade. I eventually learned enough to ask some intelligent question when I was able to connect with a tech support person later in the day. A sane person would probably realize that this computer is too old and give up, but I am determined to fix it.

We got a lot of rain overnight, but the skies were already starting to clear up when we got up this morning. As soon as the rain quit, we took Dawn on her morning walk. We took a different path today and saw some parts of the park we rarely visit. Dawn loved the cool, overcast weather. It was windy though and I should have worn a light jacket. It's almost impossible to know what to wear at this time of year. You can be cold one minute and then hot five minutes later. No complaints however. 60 degree days are so much better than 100 degree days.

Our Pulse Oximeter arrived in the mail today. Janet and I both have excellent blood oxygen levels. We'll add this little gadget to the infrared forehead thermometer and growing stack of masks on a shelf in the entry hallway. I was curious how pulse oximetry works. The device clamps on your finger  and sends two beams of light through your skin, measuring the level of oxygen saturation in your blood. By comparing the ratio of the red light to infrared light that is absorbed by the blood, a little computer in the oximeter can quickly determine your current blood oxygen levels. For an inexpensive little device, it is all very complex and surprisingly accurate. I have an oxygen saturation level of 97%. Not bad.

I wonder what I'll be measuring next month. People have become obsessed with their health lately.  Some of this is a good thing, but there is a lot of paranoia as well. Nobody wants something invisible in the air to kill them. When I see people driving around alone in a car wearing a mask and gloves I thing we may have gone too far. I'll give these people the benefit of the doubt however. Maybe they are headed toward a crowded destination and just wanted to get ready ahead of time. The masks I see in the park still baffle me. Usually these people are walking alone and are nowhere near another person. This is what fear will do to you. I continue to believe that fresh air is good. I'm not going to ride in a crowded elevatory with you any time soon though.

Tomorrow it's time to go to the store again. I don't really enjoy these excursions, but they don't take long. Grocery shopping is the only time I feel like I'm living in a science fiction movie. I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing a store full of people walking around wearing masks. I ordered a new battery this evening, along with a few more installation tools for my laptop. I don't know if this will solve my problems, but I hope so. The computer still runs on AC power with the battery removed, so at least I haven't ruined the logic board. I'd like to say tomorrow is a new day, but it's still groundhog day at our house.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3772

We walked really early this morning to avoid the rain. Although there were all sorts of severe weather warnings, it never rained. It's hard to predict anything these days. There was virtually nobody in the park this morning. I don't think overcrowding is going to be a problem until we get a warm, sunny weekend. Personally, I like the overcast days. Everything looks greener and it's easier to photograph things without hard shadows. I never understood sitting out in the sun anyway. It's terrible on your skin.

Another box of disposable masks arrived today. We're going to have plenty of masks. I'm learning not to sneeze in public. It's not an easy thing to do when you have terrible Spring allergies. Maybe mind over matter actually works. I still have hay fever and sneeze a lot in the house, but almost never do when I'm away. If things get much worse, I'm afraid they're going to start arresting people who sneeze. Definitely don't want that.

I read an interesting article today where a leading pulmonologist said that if everybody started measuring their oxygen saturation levels using one of those inexpensive Fingertip Pulse Oximeters at home, a lot of coronavirus complications could be avoided. Evidently blood oxygen levels start going down way before you develop pneumonia and he thought that a reduction in blood oxygen might be a reliable early sign that you have the virus. Sounds good to me. It makes sense that if you began treatment before you became deathly ill, you would have a lot better chance of recovering. Maybe I'll get one of these little things that fits on your fingertip. My doctor always uses one whenever I get an exam and they aren't expensive. Actually my Apple Watch is supposed to have this capability after the next system upgrade. Might not be a good idea to wait that long though. By the time this is over, I'll probably have a closet full of high-tech devices to keep me healthy.

I reviewed the installation video for the solid state drive this afternoon and I'm a little more confident that I can do the complicated computer upgrade myself. I pre-assembled a few of the components today and will be ready to take the computer apart tomorrow. I wish this computer was a traditional tower where it was easy to access the internal components directly. I've replace processors, hard drives, DVD drives, memory, and other things in computers many times before. This is different though. I've got to remove the glass front protecting the screen and then remove the entire screen itself to gain access to the broken hard drive inside. There are lots of tiny wires that have to be removed and replaced without breaking them. In theory, this repair should be easy if I'm slow and methodical. I'm kind of clumsy though. It's a miracle I haven't fallen off the roof yet.

I keep checking my e-mail to see if there is any news about media accreditation for the Crew Dragon launch at Kennedy Space Center or about the status of my McDonald Observatory article at Sky and Telescope. In my own little world these things are still important. I don't want to bother people because I know they have more important things on their mind. It's still hard to be patient though. Maybe I'll hear something soon.

Until then, I'll continue drinking my morning smoothie, taking Dawn on long walks, patching the roof, photographing Spring flowers, and writing the blog. It's amazing how quickly little things like this can fill up a day. I could write a book about sheltering in place. I doubt that you'd read it though. Most of you want to get back to normal. For me, this is normal.

Mindy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3767

I woke up early this morning. The last thing I needed was an extra two hours in an already eventless day. I remembered that Jupiter, Saturn and Mars were all located very close to the moon this morning. and went outside to take a look. Sadly, it was cloudy and I saw nothing. I did notice a surprising amount of early morning traffic though. I think the natives are getting restless.

I was even more surprised to learn today that NASA has set a launch date of May 27 for the Crew Dragon mission. I was almost certain that this would get postponed because of the virus. I wonder if my press credentials will get approved. I've already passed the security verification stage of the approval process, but that's only half the battle. I bet that NASA is still trying to decide how many members of the press corps to invite since everything is still so restricted at Kennedy Space Center. Hopefully, I'll hear something soon. I'm definitely going to go to the launch if I get media accreditation.

I bit the bullet and ordered everything I need to upgrade my computer with a super fast two terabyte solid state drive. I've watched the installation video three times now and think I can do this upgrade myself. I'm a bit clumsy, but I'm also slow and methodical and follow directions well. At any rate, doing this myself seems a lot easier than dealing with a computer repair shop during the lockdown. I've called several repair shops and I got the impression that my computer might sit there for weeks. Things aren't running very smoothly in the retail world right now.

We have a new rule in Dallas that everyone must wear a mask when they are out in public. It was cold today, so when I went to the post office with a stack of bills and letters, I wore a black wool skull cap and leather gloves with my new black mask. I looked exactly like a bank robber. I think the city finally realized that if they were demanding us to wear masks when none were available, they would have to open the fabric stores they closed last week. I heard on the news this afternoon that fabric stores are back open again. Janet has some nice Dalmatian print fabric she was going to use to make dog scarves. All we need is some Pellon from the fabric store for the middle layer of the mask and we'll be sporting some spiffy Dalmatian themed masks next week.

I think seniors aren't getting their stimulus money until May. I guess that makes sense. There are a lot of people who need the money a lot faster than we do. I still really feel sorry for the restaurant owners. The really got screwed. All the yard maintenance crews, tree trimmers, and roofers in our part of town seem busier than ever. Restaurant are dead in the water though. They all have signs saying they still do take-out, but they aren't very busy. A lot of local restaurants aren't going to survive. I wonder who decides what is essential and what isn't. I'm still amazed at how many new television commercials I'm seeing. Advertising agencies must be adding a third shift.

I'm glad that Dawn enjoys our long walks. Walking is the high point in our day. There certainly isn't much else to do. Walking is healthy and is usually a solitary experience. I can't believe a number of states have banned taking walks outside. Some states won't even let you walk your dog. As far as I'm concerned this is a good time to be a Texan. We're doing a good job of containing the virus without going batshit crazy. I never realized all those years ago what a smart move it was to leave Seattle.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3754

I try to go out for supplies once a week now. When I made my weekly run this morning, the world looked a lot different than it did last Saturday. For the first time I felt like I was walking around inside a Steven King novel. It was easy to sense that something apocalyptic was happening. Almost everyone was wearing masks. You could tell people's professions by the type of mask they wore. Men in the building trades were wearing well made masks that dry wall workers, painters, and woodworkers often use on the job. My own mask fell in this category. It was old and smelled of sawdust. I found a few in the tool shed and I'm sure I'd used them once while sanding something. Nobody was wearing a N-95 mask, but quite a few obviously came from medical supply rooms. I don't think hospital workers are stealing masks but I'm sure they are taking a few home for their families. Who could blame them. The only people I saw who weren't wearing a mask were the senior citizens who probably needed them most. The stores weren't crowded and everyone seemed very polite. People were methodical about their buying and didn't linger. I got the impression that everyone knew that things weren't going to return to normal for a very long time.

There weren't any problems with overcrowding in the parks today. It was cold and rainy and the streets we're virtually empty. Janet and I timed our walks between storm cells and managed to give Dawn a nice walk and get our daily exercise without getting too wet. Only the most dedicated runners and cyclists were out today. It was pretty nasty. Technically, I guess it is Spring, but it definitely felt like Winter is Coming today.

I have mixed feelings about the non-stop news coverage of the virus. I guess it's good to know what is going on, but there is no new information. People still don't know how this virus works or how to stop it. The talking heads just repeat the same information day after day. Unless you've been living under a rock, you already know to clean everything obsessively and to stay away from other people. Mostly what the news coverage does is stoke unnecessary fear. We should all be cautious and methodical but it won't help much to be fearful. The situation is what it is. This virus is like a runaway freight train. It will eventually run out of gas but we aren't going to stop it.

Janet and I are a good team when adversity strikes. I think we are going to be OK. I'm glad Dawn is with us. We had no idea that things would get this bad when we adopted her, but this is definitely not a good time for a dog to be alone in a kennel. I'm glad that Dalmatian Rescue has done such a great job of placing dogs this year. Six months ago we had dozens of dogs in the rescue program and now just about all of them have found their forever homes.

I didn't even bother to get gas today. At this rate a tank of gas will last me all year. I'm still having problems wrapping my head around the idea of exponential growth. Too many people seem to be dying unless we are all already infected. It would be nice to know how long it takes to show symptoms. Is is four days or four weeks? Nobody knows. When I have to venture out, I would like to be able to count the days until I felt safe in my house again.

Dottie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3696

I made it to Titusville. Kennedy Space Center is only a few miles away. Travel days are always tiring. It's windy and raining now, but the forecast looks a lot better tomorrow. By launch day it should be clear again. I hope I can depend on this somewhat optimistic forecast. It's a long way to come to get rained out.

I don't think I forgot anything. At least I remembered the important stuff. I've got my cameras, clean socks and underwear, my reading glasses, and directions to the Space Center. I took better cameras this time. Foolish pride mostly. My little pocket camera takes great pictures, but I certainly don't look like a journalist when I'm using it. We'll see if the pictures are better this time. It probably doesn't even matter if I can't manage to get access to the launch pad for close ups.

Only one person on the plane was wearing a mask today. Actually, I only saw three people in the entire Dallas airport wearing masks. Lots of old people were coughing though. Old people always cough. Luckily, I managed to get through the flight without having a coughing fit myself. Usually I'm the one who coughs and sneezes.

I even managed to get my 10,000 steps today. Instead of having a burger while I waited for my flight, I just walked around the terminal until it was time to board. I hope I can always fly Southwest. They always seem to be on time. The TSA folks are pretty fast, and if you pay a little extra you can board first and always get a good seat. Even though I changed my reservation over and over again, I was still the fifth person on the plane.

My rent car was so high-tech that it was kind of freaky. The steering wheel became very stiff if you got too close to the center line and it tried to nudge me back to the center of my lane. What kind of black magic is this? At first I thought the power steering was broken, but eventually I figured out that this was a feature, not a fault. The GPS was pretty complicated too. I'll get up early and figure it out in the morning.

This trip should be interesting. I'm a member of the press this time. It's still hard to think of myself as a journalist, but maybe it will be a little easier in the future if this trip goes well. I have a feeling that I'm a pretty junior journalist, but it's still a big step. Truthfully, I have no idea what to expect. I've never done this sort of thing before. I probably shouldn't be so apprehensive. I've been writing and taking pictures for a long, long time. How could working for a magazine be that much different?

It's been a long day. I'm going to try to get some sleep before the big adventure begins.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3694

This weather is nuts. Every day is different. Today it was very cold and forecasters are still predicting snow and sleet tomorrow. It must have rained quite a bit last night because the roof leak in the kitchen has returned. Even though I knew that it was going to continue raining tomorrow, I was forced to go up on the roof and remove as much water as I could to stop the leak. Was I really wearing shorts and a t-shirt just a few days ago? Today, two warm coats and compression pants under my jeans didn't seem enough.

I did manage to stop the leak but this morning's success is only temporary. I still don't know where the water is getting in and as soon as the rain returns, I'm sure the leak will reappear. It's going to be a while before I can even think about doing some more patching. It's all very frustrating.

I had to run some errands this morning and while I was out I stopped at a few drug stores to see if I could find a pack of disposable face masks. The pharmacists just laughed. They told me they had completely sold out of the masks quite a while ago. This seemed a bit weird to me. I haven't seen a single person wearing a mask here in Dallas. People must be hoarding these things. I guess this makes sense. We'll all been watching apocalyptic pandemic movies since The Andromeda Strain appeared in 1971. There are a ton of these movies: The Stand. 12 Monkeys. 28 Days Later. Outbreak. Contagion. I am Legend. The list could go on and on. When something real happens like this, it's easy to let your imagination run wild.

I can't say that I enjoyed my walk today. I was already tired from removing the water from the roof, but went ahead and walked anyway. The combination of rapidly falling temperatures, a light mist, and a stiff wind made walking fairly miserable. I was warm enough though. Two coats, heavy gloves, and compression pants under my jeans does the trick. I guess if I can survive this, I'll be fine up on Mount Lock later this Spring.

I still can't decide whether to view the rollout of the Atlas 5 rocket from a fishing boat near the pad. The view should be spectacular but I don't do well on boats. I've even gotten sick on large cruise ships. A photographer friend has watched a launch from this same boat and said he got seasick. Would dramamine do the trick? I'd really like to get a close up view of the pad before the launch, but it would be so much easier to catch a ride on the press bus. It's too bad they are only allowing thirty people on this bus. Will I get off the waitlist? I doubt it. There will always be thirty journalists more senior than me.

I don't think I'll be going anywhere tomorrow. I'm hoping the forecast is wrong. Snow and sleet in Dallas is never a good thing. Whatever happens, it looks like this is just a one day event. Thursday, Friday in Saturday are supposed to be clear. I don't know why I spend so much time fretting about weather forecasts. They're mostly wrong anyway.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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