Day 4178

Janet took Dawn to her first training class this evening. I didn't go, because there isn't much point in going to a dog training class without a dog. Hopefully, Dawn will do well and enjoy the class. Some of our dogs loved the training classes and others didn't. Dash did very well at first and then grew bored with the class and became a poor student. Some of the exercises are done off leash and I was always nervous that Dash would run away. He was unpredictible that way. Dawn likes being around other dogs, so hopefully she will have a lot of fun.

Today might have been eventful for Dawn, but it was uneventful for me. Not a lot happened. It didn't rain today, but I didn't take advantage of the dry weather to do anything special. I fixed my smoothie while I watched the morning news. I checked my e-mail, hoping that there might be a message from NASA or the magazine I write for in London. Janet and I walked Dawn after she returned from the gym. And then I took my longer walk later in the day. I do these things every day. I really need to add a little variety to my routine.

One thing I didn't do today was practice using PixInsight or any of the other astrophotography processing software I'm trying to learn. I don't want to get burned out before I even get started on this somewhat difficult hobby. When I was working, I was reluctant to call things like writing, photography, and graphic design hobbies because I made money doing these things. Astronomy is clearly a hobby. I will never be an astronomer. I don't even understand what a lot of them do.

I think the cortisone shot the vet gave Dawn yesterday is working. She didn't lick or bite at her paws nearly as much today. I wish the cortisone shot would solve the problem, but it will only point us in the right direction. If allergies are the problem, we need to find out what Dawn is allergic to. We had Spot, our first Dalmatian, tested for allergies and it was a long, complicated process. It turned out he was allergic to almost everything.

I made good time on my long walk today. I can't figure out why I feel so different from one day to the next. Yesterday I could barely make it home. Today I actually had a spring in my step. Inconsistency bothers me. I would like everything to be consistent and predictable even though it never is. In an inconsistent world, I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have a feeling that Dawn feels the same way. We should be best buddies. We share many of the same fears and are alike in many ways.

The little telescope I ordered has shipped and is on its way. When it arrives I will probably spend the day testing and learning how to use it. Then it will go back in a box until my next trip out to McDonald Observatory. I still haven't really mastered the star tracker I got for my last trip to the observatory. That's sitting in a box too. One problem is that you have to align the tracker with Polaris before it will track anything and you can't see the North Star from our house because there are too many trees in the way. This is just an excuse, but it's good enough for me. I'm definitely not dragging my equipment out into the park at night. 

This week has gone quickly. Pretty soon it will be my birthday again. Last year on my birthday we were right in the middle of a global pandemic. I guess we still are.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4051

I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I did get the new lens. There was actually some method to my madness. A 24-200 zoom is perfect for travel and will allow me to get the shots I need with less gear. I always like to travel light. Of course there are no trips planned. Covid is still raging and there is no place to go. Hey, you've got to start somewhere. I imagine by this summer Janet and I will both have been vaccinated and there will be plenty of safe places to go. Who knows, the observatory might even be needing volunteers again later this year.

If Facebook posts are any indication, everyone I know has already been vaccinated. How can this be? I keep reading that the vaccine is still in short supply and that it is hard to get an appointment. I know that my own pharmacy and doctors haven't gotten their supply yet. Maybe your chances of getting vaccinated depend on how badly you want the shot. Most of my friends who have gotten vaccinated are much more social than I am. They were probably willing to stand in line for hours. I imagine that many of them really, really want to return to their former lives. I'm still walking alone in the woods and happy enough to stay isolated. If I could go back to the observatory and Kennedy Space Center whenever I wanted, I could stay socially distanced forever. Masks are no problem. I'm starting to like masks.

Dawn took another afternoon walk today. Two short walks seem just fine to her. It's still a mystery why she lost interest in taking long walks in the morning, but many things are a mystery to me. If two shorter walks work for her, it's fine by me. My ongoing foot pain is equally mysterious. Yesterday, I could barely move. Today I was fine. I wore the same shoes, walked the same route, and enjoyed the same pleasant weather as I did yesterday, but what a difference. I had very little pain in my left foot today.

I finally heard from the dehumidifier folks. They said that they didn't receive my earlier messages and that the pictures I sent did indicate that there was a missing part. They suggested that I take the machine to a repair shop. I had to write them again and tell them that these pictures were of the supposedly brand new dehumidifier that they sent me just a few weeks ago. This machine should not have had missing parts in the first place. This situation is still not resolved, but I've got plenty of time. That's one good thing about being retired. I can keep writing these guys forever until I get results.

While I was at the camera store I got a new Lithium Ion battery for my audio recorder. Hopefully, this battery will hold a charge a little longer. I'm getting tired of reentering the time and date every time I turn the machine on. I've been faithfully keeping this machine ready to go for years but have only used it twice. I think the last time I used it was on a corporate video I was shooting in Las Vegas quite a few years ago. I'm always all dressed up with no place to go. Maybe I'll take this machine with me on my next rocket launch. The sound of a launch is really pretty awesome.

I need to get started on my Sky & Telescope idea again. I guess I was shocked when I started doing research and discovered that so many people were already writing about this stuff. The article I was planning has already been written dozens of times. Jeez. Amateur astrophotography is a much more popular hobby than I ever imagined. Some of these people are really excellent photographers. It's a bit intimidating. I need to remember that I have a secret weapon. My pictures of distant galaxies may not be that great, but I'm a pretty decent writer. I can describe my lousy pictures well and maybe even make you laugh.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4043

We got a new supposedly indestructible toy for Charlie today. In less than five minutes he had broken the squeaker and was shaking the thing so vigorously that I thought he would knock himself silly. Charlie was just having fun, but if I was a squirrel, I wouldn't get anywhere near this dog. Clyde is gradually overcoming his shyness and Cooper seemed much calmer than he did last week. Everyone is making progress and they were all glad to see us. We'll be back again next week. Visiting the kennel Dalmatians has become a permanent part of our routine.

Dawn is making progress as well. She is eager to take her shorter walks now and doesn't balk or freeze at all. Now that she has become confident that we're not going to try to lead her somewhere where she doesn't want to go, she's a happy camper again. Like most of our previous Dalmatians, Dawn is gradually training us instead of us training her.

I continue to walk about six miles every day. I can't say that the walks are always fun, but they are the only real exercise I get. I'd like to walk ten miles every day, but I don't think my feet are up to it. The new shoes help a lot, but I still feel like an arthritic old man when I return home. I had been planning on going back to the gym again, but now that Covid is resurgent, I think I'll wait a while. I've managed to stay healthy all year. There is no reason to start tempting fate now. The pandemic will eventually be over and I have a high tolerance for doing nothing anyway.

I missed my chance to get rid of the leaves in the yard before big trash day. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and the bulky trash trucks will arrive on our street in a day or two. I was hoping that our recent windy days would blow some of the leaves away, but all the wind did was blow more leaves into the yard. The leaves never used to be a problem before all the neighbors started putting up tall security fences. Now, they just stay in the yard forever until we haul them away.

I continue to bookmark interesting astronomy and telescope sites, making imaginary lists of equipment I need to buy and places I'd like to visit. Oddly, I seldom go out in the backyard and look at the stars. I always seem to have an excuse. It's too cold. It's too wet. You can't really see anything in Dallas anyway. I should make an effort just to stay in practice, but I suspect I have become spoiled. Once you've seen the stars from the dark skies in West Texas, looking up at the sky in a large city hardly seems worth the effort.

I hope I don't buy a bunch of gear that I never end up using. I already did that with audio equipment, but I never returned to songwriting. Once I lose interest in something, it's very hard to rekindle. I think my interest in astronomy is real. I had a telescope in junior high and high school and even thought of becoming an astronomer. Math put an end to that. There was some math involved in becoming an architect, but it was nothing compared to being a physics or astronomy major. Let's face it. I was never very good at math.

I learned something new today. I can't open pictures taken with new iPhones. The new photos are saved using the HEIC image format which isn't recognized by anything on my older phones and computers. I finally found a website that allowed me to convert a photo that was sent to me today but it was a pain to use. I'm glad I am retired or I would have to upgrade everything. Why does Apple continue to do this? I continue to get further and further behind. Adobe and Microsoft have gone to subscription services for all their software and now I can't even see iPhone pictures. Maybe my sister was right in becoming a Luddite.

Dovey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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