Day 4987

The heat is relentless. It's even hot on our sunrise walks now. I just wonder how long this can continue. I keep looking at the weather app on my phone and all it shows are sunny days and triple digit temperatures. Everything is so dry that now were are getting fire hazard warnings in addition to the daily heat advisory warnings. Today there was an ozone warning as well. I guess things could be worse. There have been no tornado warnings in a long time and we certainly don't have to worry about flooding.

I followed my regular Sunday schedule today. We had a big breakfast and then I went mall walking. I've noticed that there are a lot more walkers lately. The mall is nice and cool and I think a lot of people have started coming before the stores open just to get out of the heat. I'm almost certain that they keep the mall cooler than most people's homes. We do pretty well maintaining temperatures inside our house at night and during the morning hours. By mid afternoon our system is struggling though. If you set the thermostat at 76 degrees the temperature is going to be 80 by dinnertime.

There was nothing new at the mall today. The auto show is still going on, but I have little interest in looking at cars. The car I'm driving now might end up being the last car I have. I don't drive much anymore and my current car is becoming a really low mileage vehicle for it's vintage. We'll see what happens though. I've learned that you can never take mechanical things for granted.

It kind of bothers me that I'm walking slower now. It took me longer than usual to do my five laps at the mall today. I'm slower at the gym as well. I think this heat has just drained all the energy out of me. Hopefully this will change when things get cooler. Right now very little captures my interest and all I want to do is sleep.

I started on the web project that I volunteered to help my neighbor with this afternoon. The files they sent me didn't match at all with what they said they wanted. This might be a little harder than I thought. Situations like this used to be a daily occurrence back when I made my living as a web designer. It all seems a bit strange now though. I'm glad I've officially retired.

Dawn still gets her Sunday outing, but it's way to hot for a second walk. We let her outside at the park for a few minutes so she could pee and then we headed straight for the ice cream store. They must have been having problems today, because the line at the drive through window moved a lot slower than usual. Our cones weren't as cold as they should have been either. Dawn didn't mind though. She loves ice cream.

On the way home we stopped at the vet so Dawn could get her Bordetella shot. Actually, she got a nasal spray today instead of a shot because she was already coughing. We don't think she has kennel cough, but she was due for a Bordetella shot in a few weeks anyway. There was a sign on the door of the vet today warning that there has been an outbreak of canine flu in the area. The symptoms of canine flu are very similar to what we are seeing with Dawn as well. The vet doesn't think Dawn has either kennel cough or canine flu. So what actually is going on here? We still don't know.

I don't expect very much to change tomorrow. I wish I could just hibernate like a bear until cooler weather arrived. This has definitely been a very strange summer.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4948

Not the best of days. It was 104 degrees this afternoon, our water heater started leaking and will need to be replaced, and my application to attend the Orion Media Day at Kennedy Space Center was denied. Other than that, it was just a normal Wednesday.

Dawn regressed a bit this morning. I had to put the bowl with her breakfast next to her on the bed again. She didn't want to move and is still fearful about everything. Dawn definitely isn't getting her exercise this week. She goes out in the backyard to pee several times a day and I managed to get her down to the park this morning to poop, but all she wants to do is sit on the bed.

It was too hot for another walk in the park today, so I went back to the gym after breakfast. There were people on the basketball court, so all I did was walk three miles around the indoor track and return home. I tried to find a replacement for the broken knife rack at Bed Bath and Beyond on the way home, but the store is going out of business soon and there wasn't much left. I'll have to look for the knife rack online.

I did find orange juice at Central Market, so at least I could check something off my list. When I returned home I got a rude awakening. There was water on the floor in the utility room and it was spilling out into the kitchen. I was initially puzzled since I hadn't done any laundry recently. A quick look revealed that the water was coming from the water heater. It looked like the place where the supply lines enter the heater had rusted out. 

I shut off the heater to stop the leak and we have no hot water now. A plumber is coming out tomorrow to look at things, but he pretty much confirmed that I'll need a new water heater after looking at the pictures I sent him. He also told me that the shelf that is currently above the water heater will have to be removed because it won't pass current building codes. This was a new wrinkle. The last time I replaced this water heater you didn't need a city inspection. Water heaters have gotten a lot more expensive too. Why is nothing easy anymore? I'm going to have a hard time even finding a water heater that will fit in our tiny utility room. The size and shape of these things has changed over the years.

I'm disappointed that I didn't receive credentials to attend the Orion Media Day at Kennedy Space Center, but the rejection might be a blessing in disguise. Instead of paying for a trip to Florida this month, I'll be paying for a new water heater instead. Hopefully the plumbers can take care of everything tomorrow. I hate being without hot water.

Hopefully nothing else breaks and there is no more bad news tomorrow. At least Dawn ate her dinner normally tonight. I'll feed her a bedtime snack soon and then we'll call it a day. 

Winston is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4562 - Summer Solstice

Today was another day when the temperature determined everything. I just don't handle the heat very well any more. The day started as usual with our sunrise walk with Dawn. The air felt warm and humid as soon as we left the house. These early walks are still the best part of the day though. The higher the sun climbs, the worse it gets.

Today wasn't very productive. After breakfast, I ordered a few odd things online. I'm always surprised that you can find just about anything on the Internet. I got a replacement whistling bird for our Alessi tea kettle. The bird goes in the spout and starts to whistle when the water comes to a boil. The old whistling bird melted for some reason. I also needed a Lightning to 30-pin adapter for my phone. I still have a lot of old stuff that needs to connect. My car happens to be one of those old things that thinks all Apple devices still connect with the 30-pin connection. Apple hasn't sold these things for quite a while. I still found some brand new ones in the box from China. Are the cables counterfeit? Who knows? If so, they sure went to a lot of trouble making the box look absolutely identical to the Apple box.

I didn't even consider walking in the park today. The only thing I did outside was try to kill the mud daubers that are building nests all over the outside of our house. The things are annoying because I can hear them buzzing right outside the window next to my computer. I may be wrong, but I don't think wasps deserve the same respect that bees get. They don't typically pollinate flowers or make honey. They will sting you though. We don't see many bees in our yard, but wasps seem to love the place.

I went to the gym today for obvious reasons. The place was more crowded than usual and the parking garage was full. I had to park the car outside which meant the interior felt like an oven when it was time to return home. My routine at the gym is pretty simple. I'm not even sure if I get any benefit from it. I shoot hoops on the basketball court until I make fifteen baskets. Sometimes I do this quickly and other times it takes forever. I usually walk two miles on the indoor track. I should be faster on the comfortable indoor track than I am walking outdoors, but surprisingly, I'm not. I'm almost always slower walking indoors. When I'm finished walking I'll use the abdominal crunch and rowing machines and usually spend a little time with free weights in the weight room. That's about it. I'll always spend at least an hour at the gym, but rarely if ever two hours. Some of the regulars seem to spend the day there. I'm usually pretty bored after the first hour.

Today is the first day of summer. It's also the longest day of the year. Sadly, it's not the hottest day of the year. The temperatures will continue getting hotter for at least another month. I'm not looking forward to July and August. If the forecasts are accurate, this is going to be a very hot summer. Lets just hope that there aren't any brownouts or power outages. I'm not going to last long without air conditioning. I don't even want to think about what the electric bill is going to look like this summer. It seems to get worse every year.

Maybe something interesting will happen tomorrow, but don't hold your breath. Summer is mostly about just making it through the day. I'm still hoping to get credentialed for the Artemis-1 launch. Who knows when that will be though. The launch hasn't even been scheduled yet. I'll probably do a lot more talking about traveling this summer than actual traveling. Traveling has just become too expensive.

Barley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4269

Another long, uneventful day. I finished taking my antibiotics this morning, so hopefully the weird Cipro induced side effects will stop soon. For some reason I don't feel like having a smoothie for breakfast anymore. Very strange. I've been eating shredded wheat for the time being and having a very light dinner. I probably should be eating more, but my appetite is gone.

I drove to the post office after breakfast and mailed the letter to my sister. No problems driving. I'm not going to be driving anywhere far for a while though. My digestive system still hasn't returned to normal and it's still good to have a bathroom nearby. Janet thinks I ought to start going back to the gym and walking around the indoor track. Maybe next week. I'm still feeling a little nauseous even though the hospital drugs should be completely out of my system by now.

I think today might have been the hottest day of the year so far. We walked very early this morning, but it was starting to feel warm even before sunrise. I didn't take an evening walk because it was too hot. Dawn still wanted to go to training class though. Somehow she knows that Wednesday evening is her day and starts whining to go to class right after dinner. Janet said everything was fine because it cools off quickly after the sun goes down.

Now that the excess fluids the hospital pumped me up with have mostly been eliminated, I feel like my skin is one size too big for my body. Old skin is not very flexible. It's going to take a long time to get back in shape again. Oh, well. I certainly don't have much else to do this month. I'm definitely getting better, so I really need to work on getting strong again. Today I just felt like sleeping all day and that's not a good thing. There's really no reason to feel discouraged. I survived a somewhat serious condition and am on the mend.

I'm fully vaccinated and always carry a mask with me, but I'm getting sick of all the gaslighting and virtue signaling. Have you noticed that the people who are quickest to call someone else selfish are the very same people who were the first to resume traveling, going to sporting events and concerts, and hanging out with their friends. Who's really being selfish here? It's fine if you want to criticize the unvaccinated but let's get real. How about criticizing all the fat people, smokers, and substance abusers who have been clogging up our healthcare system for decades. It's easy to criticize others. A little harder to change your own behavior. 

I'm a bit conflicted here. I'm a very disciplined person, but did I do something wrong that caused my own hospitalization? How hard will it be to change my behavior? They say gallstones are primarily caused by when bile contains too much cholesterol for the liver to dissolve or bilirubin levels are too high. My blood work is typically normal and my cholesterol has been under control for ages. I think I have a healthy diet, but maybe not. My smoothie is probably way too sweet and I know I don't drink enough water. I eat plenty of fresh vegetables but I also love smoked meats, pizza and pasta. 

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully I can find something interesting to keep me occupied. Recovery is slow and I'm not terribly patient.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1250

Sometimes when I listen to all the workmen tramping around up on the roof, I start thinking of myself as a job creator. By putting on a new roof, I've provided a job for quite a few people. Creating jobs is good, right? I should stop right there. After I start thinking of myself as a job creator, the next thing I start thinking about is whether all these jobs are even necessary. It's almost inevitable to start thinking this way, because in almost any work environment, a lot of the people appear to be doing nothing.

This is one reason I hated being a film production company. I always had to hire a crew to shoot the television commercials I was hired to do, and yet I kept thinking that if only the client would give me a lot more time, I could just do the whole thing myself. People never pay much when you do everything yourself though. They expect a dog and pony show. I always had to hire people I didn't really need, just so the clients would think I was professional and that they were getting their money's worth. If writers worked like film crews, they could probably make a lot more money. One writer could just do the verbs, another could be responsible for the adverbs and prepositions, and so forth.

I'm probably being too critical about the workplace. Maybe all the roofers on my roof actually do have a purpose. I don't know. It would seem that you would only need about half as many workers though if they stayed all day. So far, they only seem to stay about half a day and then they all go home.

If I owned a big company, I would be replacing workers with non-complaining machines as fast as I could. I'd be putting robots on the assembly line. I'd be replacing bank tellers with ATM machines. I'd eliminate the store entirely and just sell everything online. Every time I hear someone on TV wondering when all the jobs are going to come back, I just shake my head and wonder. The jobs are never going to come back the way they used to be. Like it or not, a machine is probably going to replace you pretty soon.

What is coming back exactly the way it used to be is the Texas heat. When I was running errands this afternoon, I looked at a thermometer and it was already over 100 degrees. Poor Dot. She really has a hard time dealing with the heat as she gets older and her afternoon walks are getting shorter and shorter. I try not to push her too hard as the temperatures rise. When she's ready to go home again, we turn around, even if we've only gone a few hundred yards. Although walking the dogs is more fun, it looks like I'm going to have to get my Summer exercise by mowing the yard.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 924

Around this time of year, I start to daydream about nicer places to live. Officially, it was 106 degrees today. Unofficially, the thermometer in my car said 113. There's got to be somewhere better than this. Maybe Montana would be nice. I vaguely remember idyllic Summers at Flathead Lake when I was young. Colorado would be nice. When I graduated from College, I lived in Aspen for a while and I remember the Summers there were fabulous. Oops, I forgot. I can't afford to live in Aspen anymore. I can't even afford to live in Seattle, where I got my start in advertising. Nice places are so expensive now. Nice places even have problems now. There are huge forest fires in Colorado this Summer. I spent almost a decade living in Colorado, Idaho, and Washington State. I don't remember a single major forest fire. Maybe Texas isn't so bad.

I don't blame Dot for not wanting to go outside. I don't want to go outside either. It's very hot and it's muggy. Texas heat isn't like the dry desert heat you find in Las Vegas. It's a sticky, wet heat that makes you want to change your clothes every time you come inside. The cicadas must enjoy this heat. As the day grows warmer, they start to sing in early afternoon and the chirping goes on until long after I've gone to sleep. Cicadas seem particularly loud this year. Wasps seem to enjoy the heat as well. The mud daubers are active again, building their ugly mud nests all over the exterior of our house. Although I don't like stinging insects of any kind, I cut these guys a lot of slack, because they feed on Black Widow spiders. I'd much rather have wasps buzzing around the house than Black Widow spiders.

It was time for Dash's bi-weekly antigen shot today. While we were waiting in the lobby at the vet, all the nurses greeted him by name as they walked by. Dash seems to be quite well known at the vet. I'm not sure if this is because he is a very good dog, or a very bad dog when I leave him there. It could go either way. He was certainly good today. I was proud of the boy.

I have one of my periodic reviews with my financial advisor tomorrow. Whenever I see my advisor, he's got something he wants me to buy. I'm going to try my best to avoid buying anything at all. Wednesday just isn't a good time. I think the Supreme Court is supposed to announce their decision on the health care law this Thursday. Depending on what the justices say, the market could go way up, or way down. Seems like a good idea to just lay low for a while. I have no idea what the justices are going to say.

Derrick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 923

I wish I were more of a morning person. Summer has arrived with a vengeance and the only decent time to be out and about is right after sunrise. I try to get the dogs out on their morning walk by 7:30 AM, but since the sun rises more than an hour earlier these days, I'm really not doing all that well. The temperature rises amazingly quickly. If it's 85 degrees at sunrise, it will be 105 degrees by lunch. The trouble is that the dogs aren't early risers either. By the time we all drag ourselves out of bed, it's usually already too late.

No matter what the temperature is, mornings are delightful compared to afternoons. Afternoons are beastly. Dot is getting older now, and she can't take the heat. In the afternoon, we usually just walk until both dogs have done their business and then beat a hasty retreat to the air conditioned confines of the house.

Now that I've had time to get used to the quirks and peculiarities of U-verse service, I've come to the conclusion that it's really no better than cable. The picture freezes on the TV periodically. I'll lose my connection to the Internet for short periods almost every day. Occasionally, even the phones go out.  Usually, these outages are brief and service returns while I'm still  sitting on hold, waiting to talk to tech support. Nevertheless, the whole situation is irritating. Cable and U-verse certainly cost enough to warrant good service. Maybe the only solution is to switch back and forth between cable and U-verse once a year to keep them from taking me for granted.

My broker called the other day and suggested that I buy Microsoft. Microsoft? Keep in mind that this was the same guy who convinced me to sell Apple just before it went up another 200 points. I told the broker that selling Apple and buying Microsoft just seemed all wrong and I wasn't having any part of it. I've been somewhat gratified to see Microsoft continue to slide in the days following this errant recommendation, but I'm a bit irritated by this as well.  Just like with Time Warner Cable and U-verse, it would be nice to get a little more for my money. At the prices most financial advisors charge, they should be right 90% of the time, instead of just 65% of the time.

I called Land Rover today to see if my repairs are finished yet. Nope. They're still working on the Defender. While I was talking to my service representative, I remembered that I had forgotten to tell him about the problems I was having shifting from first to second gear. I asked him if repairing or replacing the gear synchronizers in the transmission was expensive. What do you think? Of course it is.

Oh, and I got a guitar today.  More on that later.

Shiner is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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