Day 4681

Brr. Winter arrived a little early this year. The furnace was on when we woke up this morning and it was time for a change in walking attire. I wore long pants on our sunrise walk and added a sweater under my jacket. It wasn't that cold, but it's been a while since we've seen temperatures in the 50's. Dawn loved the cooler weather. She was full of energy this morning and we completed our one mile loop three minutes faster than usual.

It was another good day for a long walk in the park. There was no sense in going to the gym on a day like this. I ate my breakfast and waited a while for the sun to get higher before leaving the house. It never did warm up very much, but the sky was clear and the cold front seems to have cleared away my allergy problems for a while. It felt good not to have a runny nose today. I didn't make great time, but I did OK. I saw quite a few photographers with long telephoto lenses looking for the eagles, but the birds appeared to be in hiding. Watching this quest to see the eagles made me feel like I was walking back in time. It was exactly like this last October.

I've been thinking about deleting several of my social media accounts because I never use them anymore. I keep thinking that some of these accounts might be the source of all the spam I'm getting. I haven't used LinkedIn in years. I couldn't even remember my password. When I finally logged in with a new password, I was surprised to discover that only 11 people have visited in the past two years. There was a time when I thought that LinkedIn might bring me business but it never did. It hardly seemed worth the trouble to delete this abandoned account, so I just turned off everything I could on the settings page and left. I also thought about deleting my Instagram account but then I remembered that NASA likes people to use Instagram when they visit the space center. There was also a time when I regularly posted on Instagram, but it is no longer a showcase for photographers and I've lost interest. Once again it didn't feel like it was worth the trouble to actually delete the account. Who knows. I might start using this again someday.

I've become ambivalent about social media in general. I only continue blogging because I'm determined to reach my 5000 day goal. Blogging definitely isn't like is used to be. I don't think anyone reads the blog anymore. A few friends still read the JPEG images of the blog I post post every day on Facebook, but I don't know if anybody still reads the real blog. The last time I looked at the stats, it showed that I only had two readers per day. That can't be right. This used to be a really popular blog back in the day.

I'll probably wind up right back where I started, writing my daily journal with a ball point pen in a little leather book. Writing is still a useful skill. I have a terrible memory and if I want to know what I was doing back in 1985, it's all there somewhere. I saved all the journals, just like I've saved all the negatives from decades of photography before the digital world was invented. I used to spend hours and hours in the darkroom. I don't think I've developed a roll of film or printed anything in twenty-five years but I used to be pretty good at it.

I don't know why I'm feeling nostalgic today. I guess the world in the rear view mirror seems more appealing than the world looking forward. I haven't turned into a prepper yet, but the future does look bleak. I think I'd be happier if I could bring myself to turn off the computer for good and quit watching cable news. I'm pretty good at amusing myself doing simple things and definitely don't need a daily diet of bad news. 

Little Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3946

I voted today. There was a line, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the lines I've been seeing on TV. The whole process took me about thirty minutes from start to finish. The line moved smoothly and everyone was very polite. I think all sides were well represented at my polling place. Behind me in line was a nervous looking guy wearing a N-95 mask with a clear plastic visor on top of it. Ahead of me in line was a couple wearing Duck Dynasty t-shirts. I don't really understand the controversy about voting in person. My experience this afternoon seemed easier, safer, and much less chaotic than going to the grocery store.

I'm officially a Sky & Telescope contributor now. I signed a contract with the magazine this afternoon. Working with this magazine is very different than other magazines I've written for. They are very detail oriented. They also pay pretty well, which was a welcome surprise. I'm used to getting paid in author copies of the publication. I don't know if I will ever become a prolific author of articles about astronomy and space travel, but this is a good start.

The weather was cold enough this morning to require long pants on our morning walk. This is the first time this season that I haven't worn shorts. Dawn loved the cooler weather. She not only seemed strong on today's walk, she actually seemed frisky. All our Dalmatians have preferred cold weather. We have sweaters for really cold days, but usually the dogs think wearing a sweater is ridiculous. 

About half the Pelicans have returned to Pelican Bay. I have no idea where they went yesterday. I also have no idea where the other half who didn't return are today. I don't know why Janet and I spend so much time trying to guess what the ducks and pelicans will do next. We have very little knowledge about the habits of waterfowl. The birds are interesting though. I'd rather speculate about ducks than the people we encounter in the park.

My seasonal allergies were so bad this morning that I took an Allegra-D for the first time this season. The pill appeared to do nothing. I woke up with a stuffy nose that was making me breathe through my mouth. As soon as I got dressed, the stuffy nose turned into a runny nose. I went through quite a few of those blue Scott shop towels on our morning walk. I don't even use Kleenex anymore. It just isn't strong enough. My congestion cleared up a bit later in the day, but I still don't know if there was a change in air quality or it just took a long time for the Allegra to kick in. I guess I'll take some antihistamines with me on my trip. I don't like how they make me feel, but I don't like a constant runny nose either.

The Delta IV Heavy launch got delayed again. Maybe if the NROL-44 mission keeps getting delayed it will eventually take place at the same time as the Space X Crew 1 mission that I've already been approved to attend. It is doubtful that this will happen, but it would be nice to be able to see both launches with a single trip to Florida. The Crew 1 mission keeps getting delayed as well. So far, these delays are fine by me. The later the launches are scheduled, the more likely it will be that hurricane season will be over. Colder weather means fewer bugs as well.

I hope the air is clear tomorrow. These seasonal allergies are driving me nuts. Dogs get allergies too, but mostly it shows up as skin irritation. I don't know if itchy skin would be worse than a runny nose. Luckily, Dawn doesn't seem to have any allergy problems.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day