Day 4110

I took a few things to the storage warehouse today and while I was there, I looked for the missing video component. Maybe I moved the thing there and just forgot about it. Nope. I really did throw it away with the empty boxes. Oh, well. Kind of an expensive lesson to learn, but I doubt that I will be making corporate videos again anyway. While I was searching through my storage unit, I found an entire case of yellow tennis balls. Why? I don't play tennis. We must have gotten them for some dog related event in the distant past.

Spring is here. Everything is turning green except for our Asian Jasmine ground cover. It still looks brown and completely dead. I wonder why this stuff fared worse than the rest of the plants? We have a lot of ground cover in the back of the yard because it grows well under our large trees. I have a feeling that the yard is going to look pretty ugly for a while. It's kind of amazing what a week of freezing weather can do.

It was a beautiful day for walking, but my feet didn't get the message. Yesterday, I had a spring in my step and walked briskly. Today I felt like I was carrying a sack of rocks. I got plenty of rest last night, but I just didn't have any energy today. I kept walking and completed five miles, but my time was a lot slower.  Before I started wearing my Fitbit, I wasn't even aware of these changes. I've done this walk so many times now that I can calculate my pace just from the sound of my footsteps. I can pretty accurately guess how many calories I'm burning as well. The trade off is that I don't stop and take pictures as much as I used to.

Dawn likes being outside, but she still won't go outside with me unless I take her out on a leash. As soon as I attach the leash, she hops off the bed and follows me out the back door. I take the leash off as soon as we are in the back yard and she is very comfortable staying out in the yard with me. She wanders around the yard barking at things and will occasionally come over to the chair where I'm sitting to be petted. When we go back inside, she heads straight for the bedroom and waits for Janet to return. It's very strange behavior, but it's starting to feel normal.

The star tracker I ordered has already shipped. This flies in the face of everything I've been reading on the Internet about having to wait months for astronomy equipment. Hopefully, I can learn to use this thing before I go out to the observatory. The trick will be finding any stars to track. You really can't see much of anything here in Dallas.

There was supposed to be a Starship launch today, but it got canceled for some unknown reason. I've known several people who travel down to Boca Chica to watch these launches, but I haven't had the nerve to go myself yet. You could end up waiting for days because Space X schedules change frequently and they are never published ahead of time. There also seems to be a major influx of people crossing the border around Brownsville, so this might not be the best time to visit the area. I'm still amazed that they launch these rockets within a few feet of a Texas state highway and visitors can walk right up to it. This is bound to change soon, but for now it's still the Wild West down in Boca Chica. I really need to plan a visit before the whole compound becomes a restricted area.

I need to plan a lot of things, but I'm finding it extremely difficult to get motivated. It's easier to just get up, fix my smoothie, and repeat the same things I did the previous day. There's always tomorrow, but usually it's just like yesterday.

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4083

I woke up early this morning, which meant I got even less sleep than usual. It was damp and foggy outside and I was convinced that it would start raining any minute. As soon as we finished breakfast we took Dawn on her short walk and then I went and got my grocery shopping done. There wasn't much on my list this week and I was home before I typically even start my Saturday errands.

It still looked like the rain would start any minute, so I thought I'd see how far I could get on my long walk. I knew I'd probably get wet, but it didn't really matter. I needed those steps and I wasn't going to get them staring at this computer. I did get a little wet, but the rain mostly bypassed us today. This happens surprisingly often. People living to the North and South of us seem to get a lot more rain than we do.

The afternoon was uneventful. I practiced processing some pictures of the Andromeda galaxy that I'd taken last October out at McDonald Observatory. The pictures weren't that good and I've been looking forward to returning to the observatory to improve on my technique. Sadly, that's not going to happen this Spring. A lot has changed in a year, and I doubt that they'll be needing volunteers for quite a while.

One year ago today, I was visiting a small private observatory north of Dallas to prepare myself to a two week stay out at the observatory. I didn't know it at the time, but this was the beginning of a year long adventure that resulted in a growing interest in astrophotography and a cover story in Sky & Telescope. I'm having trouble planning future adventures now. Covid has taken the wind out of my sails. Maybe after Janet and I complete our second vaccinations next week, I'll feel confident enough to start making plans again.

There are certainly some things worth exploring. I'd like to go down to Boca Chica and do a story on Starship and all the Space X activities there. I have to figure out how to get myself invited though. That might take a while. I definitely want to be down at Kennedy Space Center for the Artemis 1 launch. The launch is still supposed to happen this year, but I have a feeling it will be postponed. I've heard rumors that there will be a follow up to the astrophotography workshop I took last October. That sounds interesting as well. I need to remember that there are always things to do, but nothing is going to happen if I just sit here.

I went out and picked up a pizza for dinner tonight and almost immediately got a bad case of heartburn. It's a shame that many of my favorite foods give me heartburn. I love spaghetti, chili, ribs, fried chicken, and pizza. They all give me heartburn. It's kind of a shame that most of my favorite activities all involve trips to places thousands of miles away as well. Wouldn't it be easier if I enjoyed bland foods and doing things right here in Dallas? Maybe that's not the point though. At least I have interests.

I hope the weather is better tomorrow. A gloomy day usually results in a gloomy me. The forecast says it will be raining in the morning, but it might be clear. Texas weather is full of surprises.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3665

Today was a little discouraging. Everything seems to be in limbo. The magazine told me that I should reapply for NASA media credentials as a photographer instead of as a writer. Apparently they already have a writer covering the Solar Orbiter launch. Jeez. I wish I knew this two weeks ago. I'm not even sure that I can reapply, but I'll give it a shot.

I'm also having trouble connecting with the right people at the observatory. I still don't know how these on-site visits really work and if I can't come up with a place to stay while I'm on Mount Locke this whole experiment isn't going to work very well. These new development leave me feeling like an outsider. I hate feeling like I'm on the outside looking in. Life is much easier when you're an insider.

The day wasn't all bad though. Janet and I had an enjoyable time visiting with the rescue Dalmatians. The dogs seem happy and are doing well. Hank is having problems again though. Hopefully, our vet can bring him back to normal soon. The good news is that Treasure has finally found her forever home. I think her new family will be coming to pick her up tomorrow.

We were up at the kennel for quite a while, so I got a real late start on my walk today. I returned home in the dark again. It would have been easier to just forget the walk, but I'm determined to keep moving. I've managed to convince myself that this activity is keeping me healthy, so I guess that's reason enough to continue.  The problem with doing something every day like this is that it can get boring. I find these long walks essential, but I seldom look forward to them. The only time I really look forward to going on a long walk is when it allows me to postpone something else I'm trying to avoid.

I didn't order the Universe2Go viewer after all. I read some more reviews and now I'm thinking that the product is junk again. I shouldn't be making a big deal about this. The viewer is inexpensive and I'm sure it will provide a little entertainment regardless of how accurate it is. Would I even use this thing? Who knows. I took some trash out to the garbage can just before I went to bed last night and the sky looked beautiful. There wasn't as much light pollution as usual either. Did I pull up a lawn chair and look at the stars for a while? Nope. It felt cold and I was tired. I just went back inside and went to bed.

I guess I'll reapply for NASA media credentials tomorrow. This seems kind of futile to me, but the magazine says I have a better chance of getting approved as a photographer. What do I know? Maybe they're right.

Lake, the guy in today's picture, is still shy, but I got him to take treats out of my hand today. I think that's progress. I wish I could convince the shy Dalmatians that the world isn't really such a scary place. I might not be the best messenger though. I'm usually the one who thinks the world is a scary place.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3610

It was so cold today. I felt like staying under a warm blanket all day, but knew that I had to face facts and admit that it was winter. I took my time eating breakfast in hopes that it would get warmer. Maybe the temperature rose a few degrees, but it wasn't enough to notice.

I wasn't surprised that the park was empty today. It was just me and an insane jogger who wasn't even wearing a jacket or a hat. I was warm enough. I looked like the Michelin Man, wearing a puffy outer down coat over a lighter inner down jacket. Add a pair of compression pants under my jeans. a wool hat, and some heavy insulated boots and it was a miracle I could even move.

I finished the entire five miles. There were a few spots where the wind was pretty nasty, but for the most part it was a beautiful winter day. I'm glad I dressed warmly. Anything lighter and I would have froze. When I passed the area where the Pelicans spend the winter, they were all huddled together in a big clump. Maybe this was their way of staying warm. What do I know though. If I was a cold Pelican, the first thing I would do was get out of the water.

There seem to be an abundance of opportunities to attend NASA events in December. After I got rejected to attend the Space X ISS resupply launch, I applied to attend the first Boeing Starliner launch a few weeks later. Now there's an opportunity to tour the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. I'm not a huge fan of New Orleans but it would be cool to see the Artemis moon rocket being assembled. Should I apply for this event too? I'm not even sure if I could afford to do both.

I did try to contact the volunteer director at McDonald Observatory today. I haven't heard anything about my application yet. The director wasn't in, so I sent him an e-mail. It would be nice to know if these thoughts I've been having about spending time on Mount Locke this Spring are real or just a fantasy. Sometimes I think all my travel plans are just a fantasy. It's not like I actually need to do any of this.

We'll see what happens. I might be very busy toward the end of the year, or I could just be sitting here wondering if the roof was going to leak. I wish that getting selected to attend rocket launches wasn't so competitive, but that's just the way it is. When something is desirable, there are usually lot of people who want to take advantage of the opportunity. I suspect that being an on-site volunteer at the observatory is the same way. I know for a fact that there are a ton of amateur astronomers who are way more dedicated than me. A lot of them would probably love to spend time at McDonald Observatory. Hey, I rarely even look through a telescope. The only thing that works in my favor is that I'm a pretty decent writer. Sometimes a story needs to be told.

We have a rare adoption event to attend this weekend. Janet and I still can't decide which dog to take. Some aren't quite ready to be around a crowd yet and others might end up being adopted before the event. With the weather we've been having, it might even be too cold for the dogs to be outside. No sense in fretting yet. If I've learned anything it's that a lot can change in a week.

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3599

I went out for breakfast this morning and almost immediately realized it was a mistake. What was I thinking? Breakfast Enchiladas filled with pulled pork, eggs, cheese, bacon and jalapeños were way too spicy for the way I was feeling. Hey, it was a new restaurant I needed to try. I think next week I'll just stay home and have my smoothie on Friday.

It wasn't quite as cold as yesterday, but I still needed a warm coat when I went out and ran my errands. I went to the bank, the post office, and the grocery store. I could do my banking using an app on my phone. Our mail carrier will pick up mail at the house. And I could even have groceries delivered. I keep going to these places though. Having necessary places to go adds structure to my day. This is probably why I take my five mile walk as well. There's nothing I really want to do, but I need to do something.

The roofer I saw yesterday got me a bid a lot quicker than I expected. The price was no surprise though. It was right in line with all the other bids. I have no idea why a flat roof costs so much more than a normal roof. I have no idea why prices have increased so much in the last fifteen years either. I've resigned myself to the fact that there are no bargains. I just want the job done properly so I won't have to worry about leaks again.

I thought I'd gradually start walking a little faster once I got used to the five mile distance. The opposite has happened. It's actually taking longer to complete the walk than it did in the beginning. I haven't slowed down that much, but I feel like I'm dragging. I guess I'm just not motivated to go any faster. I've convinced myself that the walk does me some good, but I've never been a competitive person. I definitely don't feel like competing with myself.

I encountered a large balloon arch while I was walking today. It wasn't here yesterday. Did someone have a midnight Halloween party in the park last night? Was this the finish line for an early morning 10K or marathon race? Maybe it was just a birthday party. Unfortunately, the balloons will blow away soon and an animal will probably get tangled up in the remains.

I wish I'd hear something from the observatory. It's hard to make plans when you have no idea what is going on. If I'm accepted for an extended stay on the mountain, I don't know whether I'll be excited or apprehensive. Probably it will be a bit of both. On cold days like today, I realize that it is probably even colder in the Davis Mountains. I think a lot about Fort Davis and McDonald Observatory these days but I have no idea whether I'd enjoy the experience of spending time there any more than living in Dallas. I guess to find the answer I need to go out there and see for myself.

I hope it warms up in the next few days. I'd like one more chance to find the roof leak before the next rain arrives later next week. I think it's too cold to even apply the silicon material now. It would have been so much easier if I'd been able to take care of this last summer.

Jeda is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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