Day 4334

It was pretty clear that I really did need a new battery when I tried to start the car this morning. Luckily, I was successful and the engine eventually roared into life. I drove to the new Land Rover garage I discovered and got the battery I needed. I was both pleased and discouraged by the new place. They were extremely fast and very professional. I liked them. Unfortunately, prices were just about the same as the dealership. I could have saved a lot of money if I just bought a battery myself at the Interstate Battery store. Like I mentioned earlier, it's not that easy though. Once the car has been disconnected from a source of electricity, a number of security settings have to be reset. I suppose there are YouTube videos that would explain how to do this, but YouTube videos have not been very helpful to me in the past. I paid the inflated price and will probably use this garage again. All things considered this was a much better experience than going to the dealership.

The doctor who examined my esophagus and did my colonoscopy earlier this week called today with the results of the biopsy samples they took. Nothing abnormal was found in my esophagus, but some pre-cancerous cells were discovered in the small polyp that was removed from my colon. None of this seemed alarming to the doctor, who said I should plan to repeat the EGD/Colonoscopy procedure five years from now. She also prescribed a proton-pump inhibitor to help control my acid reflux. There are some side effects to taking a PPI for an extended length of time, but like the doctor explained, there are side effects to everything, including continual acid reflux. 

When we started our walk this morning, one of the neighbor's dogs came after Dawn. The dog didn't hurt Dawn, but she was terrified. She was also scared when the guy who owned the dog started yelling at it. It was pretty obvious that Dawn remembered the attack that ultimately led to us fostering her while she recovered from some pretty serious wounds. For the rest of the day, she acted very fearful. Hopefully, this isn't a big setback, because we were really starting to make some progress. The whole event could have been avoided if the guy had just kept his dog on a leash. One of my pet peeves is unleashed and unattended dogs in our neighborhood. You never know what is going to happen.

It was another nice day today. We got Dawn to walk by avoiding the neighbor's house and going in the opposite direction. Later, I took my long walk and wished I'd worn a lighter jacket. At this time of year you can be freezing when you start a walk and hot by the time you finish. I see people looking for the eagles almost every day now. They are in the area, but are fairly illusive. I've managed to see one of the Bald Eagles in the air once and a few days later noticed another sitting on a tree limb. I doubt that I will see them often. They don't hang out with the other birds.

I got a message from my editor at SpaceFlight wanting me to participate in a teleconference about the Artemis program. I guess I can do this. Maybe the NASA teleconference will help me write future articles.  I really wish the magazine could help me get credentialed more consistently. Covid restriction have made it difficult for me. I guess I shouldn't complain though. The magazine doesn't pay expenses and I really can't afford to make the trip to Kennedy Space Center more often than I currently do anyway.

I hope that Dawn isn't scared tomorrow morning. She loves her walks and it's hard to get to the park without going down the street with the loose dog. It's always something these days. Life in the city is usually three steps forward and two steps back. It takes a lot of patience.

Coach is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3788

Fake news isn't limited to politics. If you try to fix a computer using online tips and suggestions, you will encounter an almost unlimited amount of nonsense. It's frustrating to wade through inept YouTube videos, argumentative user forums, and out-of-date manufacturer tutorials, but you can still learn a lot. That's how I spent my morning. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong in yesterday's botched computer upgrade. I eventually learned enough to ask some intelligent question when I was able to connect with a tech support person later in the day. A sane person would probably realize that this computer is too old and give up, but I am determined to fix it.

We got a lot of rain overnight, but the skies were already starting to clear up when we got up this morning. As soon as the rain quit, we took Dawn on her morning walk. We took a different path today and saw some parts of the park we rarely visit. Dawn loved the cool, overcast weather. It was windy though and I should have worn a light jacket. It's almost impossible to know what to wear at this time of year. You can be cold one minute and then hot five minutes later. No complaints however. 60 degree days are so much better than 100 degree days.

Our Pulse Oximeter arrived in the mail today. Janet and I both have excellent blood oxygen levels. We'll add this little gadget to the infrared forehead thermometer and growing stack of masks on a shelf in the entry hallway. I was curious how pulse oximetry works. The device clamps on your finger  and sends two beams of light through your skin, measuring the level of oxygen saturation in your blood. By comparing the ratio of the red light to infrared light that is absorbed by the blood, a little computer in the oximeter can quickly determine your current blood oxygen levels. For an inexpensive little device, it is all very complex and surprisingly accurate. I have an oxygen saturation level of 97%. Not bad.

I wonder what I'll be measuring next month. People have become obsessed with their health lately.  Some of this is a good thing, but there is a lot of paranoia as well. Nobody wants something invisible in the air to kill them. When I see people driving around alone in a car wearing a mask and gloves I thing we may have gone too far. I'll give these people the benefit of the doubt however. Maybe they are headed toward a crowded destination and just wanted to get ready ahead of time. The masks I see in the park still baffle me. Usually these people are walking alone and are nowhere near another person. This is what fear will do to you. I continue to believe that fresh air is good. I'm not going to ride in a crowded elevatory with you any time soon though.

Tomorrow it's time to go to the store again. I don't really enjoy these excursions, but they don't take long. Grocery shopping is the only time I feel like I'm living in a science fiction movie. I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing a store full of people walking around wearing masks. I ordered a new battery this evening, along with a few more installation tools for my laptop. I don't know if this will solve my problems, but I hope so. The computer still runs on AC power with the battery removed, so at least I haven't ruined the logic board. I'd like to say tomorrow is a new day, but it's still groundhog day at our house.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day