Day 3781

I got my stimulus money today. I noticed that the deposit was labeled as a tax refund by the IRS. Hmm. Does this mean that if I happen to get a refund next year, will the stimulus be deducted from my refund as funds already received? It wouldn't surprise me. The IRS doesn't do things accidentally. I'm sure there was a reason the stimulus money was labeled as a tax refund.

Texas starts to reopen today. The streets were certainly busier, but not a lot has changed. Very few restaurants will be opening soon. Most owners decided that with new limited occupancy rules, they'd lose more money opening than by staying closed. I only went out today to go to the post office. I needed stamps, but there was a long line of people spaced six feet apart waiting to get to the counter. Suddenly buying stamps didn't seem all that important. It might finally be time to start doing everything online. You can pay bills online. You can buy stamps online. You can even deposit checks in the bank online. I've resisted these things because I like going to the post office and the bank. These little outings keep me in touch with the neighborhood. I usually follow the path of least resistance though. It now seems easier to do almost everything from home.

I ordered some N-95 masks, thinking that I might want them if I fly to Florida for the Crew Dragon launch. I haven't heard anything from NASA about my press credentials, but I'm trying to stay optimistic. The airlines should still be pretty empty in late May, but I wouldn't be surprised if Southwest Airlines keeps canceling flights to Orlando until they can manage to fill up their few remaining planes. Wouldn't that be weird if nobody is flying, but the few planes still in the air are completely full. Again, this wouldn't surprise me.

I keep hearing that some people still want to stay in lockdown mode until a vaccine becomes available. At the same time I am hearing more and more people say that they definitely don't want to be the first to take this new vaccine. "Let the others go first," they say. There is still a lot of skepticism about vaccines out there. I've been vaccinated for just about everything, but I wouldn't want to be the first to try any new vaccine. It's a long and often rocky road to develop a vaccine that works. Early trials of a polio vaccine in 1935 were a disaster. Several test subjects died of polio and many more were paralyzed. Even Jonas Salk had problems with his successful vaccine when a bad batch from Cutter Laboratories started giving children polio in 1955. Polio vaccination was even suspended for a while while politicians argued about it's effectiveness. If you are waiting for a vaccine, you might have to wait a lot longer than you think. Almost all vaccine development programs are filled with failures and false starts.

I personally like the cleaner air and empty streets we experienced in April, but it seems pretty obvious to me that the world will reopen soon. The natives are getting restless. Unless another major city erupts like New York, we will begin to normalize the deaths and the media will start to talk about something else. I'm not saying that this is a good thing, but it's going to happen. You simply can't shut down the world indefinitely. Even the World Health Organization is saying that Sweden is a good model for the future now.

I've walked over 20,000 steps every day this week. A year ago I wouldn't have thought this was possible. Dawn continues to make us laugh. We've had many Dalmatians, but she is the funniest one. Such a bundle of quirky little habits.  She definitely came to us at the right time. I think I'm going to go ahead any upgrade my laptop. I should be concentrating on improving the house, but improving a computer is more my speed.

Betsy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3775

We're having a nice Spring. So far we've avoided any of the severe weather that has caused so much damage in other parts of the South. It's hard to complain about sixty-five degree days and clear skies. We've started walking Dawn early in the morning to avoid the crowds at the park. The park is pretty busy because what else are you going to do during a lockdown? We see lots of families walking with their kids now. I'm glad that Dallas hasn't closed down their parks like some cities. Fresh air and sunlight are good for you. So is exercise. I'm convinced that the people I see walking in the park are going to be ahead of the game when the pandemic is over.

I was bragging about Sam's Club last week. This week there was a line to enter the store, just like many other grocery stores. I don't know what the line proved. They were letting people in as fast as they could grab a buggy and once inside there were no rules at all. Toilet paper was still in short supply, but the fresh fruit has never looked better. Evidently growers are having difficulty finding an outlet for all their fruit without institutional and restaurant customers. There was an abundance of really fresh looking strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries today. I can't believe people are stocking up on canned food when there is so much nice looking fresh fruit and vegetables available. If you're worried, just wash the stuff when you get home. We've been washing fruits and vegetables for years, mostly because of pesticides. I'm not much of a cook, but I do know that canned food is full of salt. Fresh food is just better in every way.

I'm rooting for Sweden to win the lockdown sweepstakes. I'm convinced that if everyone used a little common sense, you wouldn't need draconian rules. I'm really getting tired of people using the pandemic to score political points as well. Good grief. Trump didn't actually tell people to drink bleach. He was just wondering if there was a way to flush the virus out of the lungs the way you would clean a countertop. I've wondered the same thing. Doctors actually do wash people's lungs occasionally. Large volume pulmonary lavage has been used by physicians for quite some time when certain types of lung disease disease cause the lungs to fill with lipoproteinaceous fluid. Several quarts of saline solution are placed into the lungs through a breathing tube to wash the lungs while the patient is sedated and then the liquid is suctioned away. It's kind of a radical procedure but patients typically improve rapidly after this is done. And if you don't think doctors routinely inject poison into patients veins, you haven't had chemo or know someone who has. Chemotherapy drugs are extremely poisonous, You typically have to sign a waiver saying that you understand the treatment might kill you before chemotherapy can begin. Doctors just hope that the drugs kill the cancer before they kill you.

I'd hate to be a doctor right now. They are under tremendous pressure and they still don't know how this virus works. They are learning things quickly but treatment is still basically an experiment. We are learning that ventilators can do more harm than good. Blood clots are a much bigger problem than originally anticipated. Nothing is behaving in the way it should. So far, your best friend is a strong immune system and a healthy lifestyle. Hopefully people will learn this lesson when the current crisis has passed. Is it really that hard to eat healthy food, manage your weight, and only put air into your lungs?

I started cleaning my office today. I filled a large trash bag with old magazines, empty boxes, and other stuff I couldn't even identify. Sadly, the office still looks the same. I think I'll have to fill twenty large trash bags before I start making any real progress. Hey, if this plague lasts long enough I'll eventually have a clean office.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3741

It was almost inevitable. Dallas, like many other large cities, is now under a lockdown. The new "Shelter in Place" rules go into effect tomorrow. I'm not sure if there will be many changes for Janet and I. We can still go to the grocery store and we can still take walks in the park as long as we stay at least six feet away from other people. It's a big park and other people are usually at least 300 yards away. I don't think this is going to be a problem. Maybe the new rules will make a difference. I hope so. There are already a lot of people testing positive in Dallas County and we aren't even testing many people yet.

So far, life seems normal until I turn on the television. Apparently, the world is ending but I just keep on having my morning smoothie, taking long walks in the park, and minding my own business. I never realized it before, but I've been sheltering in place for years. When this is all over, maybe introverts will finally get the respect they deserve.

I saw a meme this morning that said that people with seasonal allergies have become the new Salem Witches. It certainly feels that way. Every Spring my eyes start watering and I find myself sneezing a lot. I'm glad that most of this sneezing takes place when I'm alone in my office at home. It wouldn't go over very well in an office cube environment. You feel very self conscious when sneezing becomes unacceptable behavior. When I felt a sneeze coming on at mealtime at the Astronomers Lodge last week, I would excuse myself and go back to my room to sneeze. Sneezing and coughing was starting to be unacceptable even then. I'm sure things have gotten much worse.

The park was pretty empty today because it was a rainy day.  There were still plenty of people walking their dogs though. I've noticed that people do keep their distance when they pass on the trails. Generally the people I see in the park are much more polite than the people I encounter at the grocery store. If this virus really gets out of hand, it will be because of all the people hoarding toilet paper.

Dawn has her first appointment with our regular vet on Tuesday. I'm not sure how the new lockdown rules affect veterinarians. I'll have to call and see if we need to reschedule. If the vet still feels comfortable seeing us, we'll probably still go. I'm also supposed to get my second shingles shot tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that this will be classified as an unnecessary visit and will need to be postponed. No a problem really. There is a pretty wide window to get this second shot. Any time within the next three or four months is OK.

I told the audio repair shop that I would pick up my Sequential Circuits synthesizers tomorrow. It is becoming clear that they aren't going to sell and they want them out of the shop. Since all local businesses are supposed to remain closed during the lockdown, the synthesizers might need to stay a while longer though. One more thing to check tomorrow.

I still don't know anyone personally who has become sick. Friends of friends have become sick though. The disease is getting closer. A friend who lives in rural Kentucky and likes to hunt and fish has invited us to come and stay if all hell breaks loose. "We're all hillbillies up here, but we've already got a six month supply of food," he told me. I'm still hoping for the best, but the offer might sound pretty good a few months from now.

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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