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

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Day 4953

The temperature wasn't bad when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, but it didn't take long for it to climb to over 105 degrees. When is this going to end? When I looked at the weather app on my phone it showed triple digit temperatures for the next two weeks. I tried to make the most of the cooler early morning temperatures by finishing mowing the grass in the back yard right after breakfast. That was actually a smart move. By the time I was ready to go to the gym a few hours later, it was already to hot to do anything outdoors. I hate to even think what our electric bill is going to be next month. It's going to be awful.

On the way to the gym I dropped off a few things at the storage warehouse. This trip was depressing because the warehouse is full. I had a hard time finding a place for the few things I brought today. Some of the stuff in storage is useless and could be thrown away, but it's not going to be an easy task. The older stuff is almost impossible to reach because it is hidden behind piles of newer stuff. Some things could be easily sold, but I have an almost deathly fear of interacting with strangers, so I would never put anything on Craigslist or have a garage sale. eBay is too much trouble these days. There are lots of scammers and you have to box everything up and ship it to the buyer. If I had unlimited resources I'd just keep renting additional storage units and let some future edition of Storage Wars deal with the stuff after I'm gone. Does this make me a hoarder? Probably not. The house is still pretty clean and neat.

I'm glad I've got my gym to go to on days like this. They must have some industrial strength air conditioning units because the place is always ice cold, even on days like this. Mondays always seem to be more crowded than other days. I have no idea why. Luckily I found the last covered space in the parking garage today. My gym visits aren't very imaginative. I do the same things day after day. I walk three miles on the indoor track and shoot baskets for about fifteen minutes. My time on the basketball court provides more exercise than you might think. It's probably the most active I am all day.

I spent the afternoon trying to keep out of the way. Dawn didn't want me in the bedroom with her and Janet was cleaning the floors and didn't want me to walk on them while they were wet. I was stuck in the office for a while. The computer used to be entertaining, but there are only three places I visit anymore. I look at Facebook, I read Google news, and I write my blog on Blogspot every night. I should just delete my LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. I never visit those places these days.

I still haven't heard anything about the Falcon Heavy Jupiter 3/EchoStar launch I applied for earlier. It would probably be a blessing in disguise if I didn't get approved. My car insurance is due and I still haven't paid for the new water heater yet. I was hoping that the new roof would be my only big expense this year, but that hasn't worked out very well. It seems like everything is a big expense these days.

We'll have to get up even earlier to avoid the heat tomorrow. It's a shame that Dawn only gets this one early walk a day now. I guess that's better than nothing though. The heat has gotten so bad that the park department is putting out signs along the paths warning people about heatstroke in dogs and the dangers of them burning their paws on hot asphalt of concrete. If history is any guide, things aren't looking good this summer. It is usually hot until October here in Dallas. I spend the day just hoping that our air conditioner doesn't go out or we have a power outage. 

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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