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 3466 - Summer Solstice

Today was the longest day of the year. It wasn't long enough however. I've felt way behind all day. I'm trying to get ready for my trip to Florida and as I often do, I didn't leave myself enough time. I did a bunch of stuff today that I should have done last week. I decided at the last minute that I needed to get a haircut. Then I decided that I needed a small backup battery I could use to recharge my phone. I already have something like this but it is too big to carry around with me all day. I wanted something I could put in my pocket. After getting a haircut, I found a slim phone recharger at REI that would fit in my pocket. Unfortunately, when I returned home I couldn't figure out how to hook the thing up to my phone. Back to the store. This time I picked up a pizza for dinner on my way home. I also paid a few bills and took them to the post office. There were no long walks today. There just wasn't enough time.

I still haven't packed my bags or decided what shoes to wear. This shouldn't be much of a problem. Some clean underwear, clean socks, black t-shirts, and an extra pair of jeans ought to do it. I need to remember to take a very small tube of toothpaste and little bottles of other liquids. I forgot last time and had to throw some stuff away. I need to take some slip on shoes too. Lace up boots are way too much trouble to take off for the TSA folks.

My exercise today was running errands and getting the remaining water off the roof. It's been so hot lately that most of the water from recent rains had already evaporated. I don't want to take any chances though. Last week I bought some of that Liquid Rubber in a Can that you always see advertised on TV.  Maybe this will work for sealing small tears in the elastomer material. If it works, it would sure beat calling the roofers over and over again and begging them to come out.

I didn't bother to go our for breakfast this morning. I just had a peach, a banana, and a cup of coffee. I thought this would save me some time, but it really didn't. You have to have a plan before time management actually means anything. Inch by inch I'm getting things done, but it's almost a certainty that I will forget something important. I always do.

Tonight I will put my meds in one of those flat plastic boxes with little bins for each day of the week. My parents used these pill containers when they traveled. I never thought I'd be doing the same thing. The little compartmented container certainly beats carrying a big sack filled with prescription bottles though. The compartments make it easier to remember if I've taken my pills too. Are there still pills in the Tuesday compartment? Oops. I'd better take them.

I wish I was a better traveler. I like being there. I just don't like getting there. I guess I've accomplished something. I've got new tires even though I'm not going to drive to Florida after all. I finally know my sister's phone number. I got a haircut. I've got a clever little gizmo that will let me recharge my phone in the field. Now all I need to do is pack my bags.

Barley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3101 - Summer Solstice

It certainly seemed like the longest day of the year. I didn't get that much accomplished, but I've been busy all day. It takes me so long to get things done now. By the time I walked Dash, ate breakfast, paid a few bills, and watched last night's episode of The Expanse, it was time to get my hair cut. I'd made the appointment for 2:15 this afternoon, thinking that it would give me plenty of time, but I was almost late.

By the time I got home again, it was already time to feed Dash his dinner. I always feel better after a haircut. I may not look any younger, but at least I don't look like a madman. Maybe if I cut my hair more frequently, the transformation wouldn't be so severe. I used to go shopping when I made this periodic trip to Northpark Mall. Now, I don't even bother to stop at the Apple Store. I never thought I'd grow tired of computers, but I think the day has finally arrived. I certainly don't need any more clothes. After taking three bags of stuff to the Goodwill the other day, my closets are still filled with things I've never worn.

Dash is back to normal again. I'm glad he is able to bounce back from these frightening vestibular episodes. His appetite has returned and the nausea has gone. It makes a huge difference when Dash is willing to eat. Some of his meds are absolutely essential and when he has an upset stomach, it is nearly impossible to give him his pills. After a while, you really learn to appreciate the good days.

Summer Solstice in Texas just means that the heat lasts a little longer in the evening. There was a time though, when this day was pretty special. When I was growing up in Alaska, my Dad packed the family in the car and we drove to the Arctic Circle one Summer to see the midnight sun during the solstice.  It was a long time ago, but I still remember how cool it was to see the sun above the horizon at midnight. With 24-hour days in the summer and auroras almost every night in the Winter, it's not surprising that I developed a lifelong interest in astronomy.

I was really disappointed to hear that the Supreme Court is going to allow states to collect sales tax from online sales. For many years, I've bought all my computers and cameras online primarily to avoid the sales tax. Buying online has saved me a lot of money over the years. I feel sorry for small Etsy businesses. It's going to be a nightmare for them to calculate all the different tax rates that various different municipalities are charging. I'm glad I was around at the beginning of the Internet. Ten years from now, it's not going to seem very special at all.

I have no idea where I'm going for breakfast tomorrow. I wish I still enjoyed this little Friday morning adventure. Like the early Internet, it was fun for a while. What I can't figure out is if I'm losing interest in food, why am I still gaining weight?

Barley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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