Day 3695

We escaped the ice and snow forecasters were warning us about. We must have gotten some rain overnight though because there was water on the roof again when I woke up. I decided to act quickly this time. For the second time in two days I went up on the roof and swept the water away. I guess I did the right thing because the leak hasn't reappeared.

It was definitely cold enough for snow today. A strong wind made things even worse. Even though I dressed warmly, I was freezing on the roof. It was not the best day to be getting wet. When the roof was dry, I went inside to get dry myself. We've got a lot of winter left, but I'm definitely ready for summer.

After breakfast this morning I continued to get organized for my trip to the Space Center. I'm always torn between a need to plan for contingencies and a desire to travel light. It's easier to travel in the summer when you don't have to consider whether to take sweaters and coats. An extra coat takes up a lot of space. I can't decide which cameras to take either. Usually a little pocket camera is fine, but I don't want to humiliate myself if I do manage to make it on the press bus to the launch pad.

Basically, I'm a terrible traveler. I continue to go back and forth about what to take and usually just end up throwing a bunch of stuff in a bag at the last minute so I won't miss my flight. I'm fine when I arrive, but getting there is like pulling teeth.

Taking my long walk today seemed like pulling teeth as well. It was very cold. The wind was so strong that the windchill made me wish that I'd gotten my old Alaska coat out of the storage warehouse. The coat is very heavy and probably needs to be dry cleaned, but it does a great job of protecting you from the wind.

I've pretty well decided not to view the launch rollout from a boat. It wasn't even that hard of a decision. All I needed to do was remember all the times I've gotten seasick on ships in the past. I'm usually OK on a calm lake, but the ocean is not my friend. Don't ever invite me to go deep sea fishing with you. Hey, I'm going to stay optimistic though. I'm still on the waitlist for the press bus to the launch site. Maybe if I just hang around where the bus is boarding, they'll be able to squeeze one more person onboard.

Sometimes I wish social media didn't exist. If it weren't for all the alarmists on my Facebook feed, I probably wouldn't even be thinking about the coronavirus. Jeez, the common cold is a type of coronavirus. Tons of people die from the flu every year. Is this really something to panic about or not?   You just don't know what to believe anymore. I'm generally really healthy, but I sneeze a lot because of seasonal allergies. I don't want to get thrown off the plane just because I sneezed.

Maybe everything will be fine. Usually I think "maybe everything will be fine" each morning when I wake up. My day is filled with irritating small problems but almost all of them get resolved. Life goes on. At the end of the day, I feel foolish for making a mountain out of a molehill.

Zorro 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

Watch of the Day