Day 3983

After making a few more edits, I sent my completed manuscript to the magazine today. A few hours later I sent the accompanying photographs. I selected eighteen of the best images from the hundreds I took at the launch and did my best to clean them up for publication. It's weird that after all these years I'm still discovering new things you can do with Photoshop. I used to wonder why other launch photographer's images always looked better than mine. Sometimes it was just using a better tripod to keep the camera steady. Every photographer seemed to have their own secret sauce. Some like to shoot in manual mode. Others like aperture priority. Almost everyone does some sort of post-processing because the lighting is so difficult on  night launches.

I discovered that by changing the contrast and color temperature of an image I could often bring out more detail. You want everything to look natural, but there is nothing natural about an insanely bright flame surrounded by darkness. I wanted to make sure that you could at least see the rocket that was creating all the flames. My images might improve a bit with better equipment, but I think I did pretty well. Hopefully, the magazine will find something they like. When you send eighteen images, they'll probably only use three.

I must have fallen back to sleep after Janet said it was time to get up this morning. When I realized I was late, I stumbled around getting dressed as quickly as I could while Janet and Dawn waited at the door. It was cloudy this morning, but we still had a pleasant walk. Fifty degrees seems to be an ideal temperature for everyone. We have all settled into a predictable routine. Dawn has specific trees and rocks that she always smells. Janet checks out the progress of new construction in the neighborhood. We both count the ducks and geese to make sure they are all there. Our long walk takes about two hours and the slightly shorter route we sometimes use takes about an hour and a half.

It was a slow day, although I did spend a considerable amount of time preparing my launch photo for publication. Since photography was already on my mind, I went over to the storage warehouse to look for the backdrop we'll be using for Santa Paws pictures. I have lots of photo backdrops, but one is washable and is much lighter than the rest. That's the one I wanted. My storage space is so full that it always takes me a while to find anything. Lots of stuff brings back memories, but there is very little that I'll actually use again. While looking for the photo backdrop, I stumbled across some nice leather coats that don't fit anymore. There was a brand new outboard motor that belonged to my Dad. That's not much use without a boat. The only thing that resembled a boat was a windsurfing board that I'll never be able to use because of my bad shoulder. The guitars and most of the model trains are gone now, but there are still a few vintage synthesizers gathering dust. I diod find the backdrop, but was in no mood for decluttering today. That will have to wait.

My insect bites itch like crazy. I still don't know if I was bitten by mosquitoes or fire ants. I guess it doesn't matter at this point. They will eventually subside and while I wait, I've just got to keep from scratching them. The next time I go to a night launch, I need to remember to bring some industrial strength  insect repellent.

It was one of those days where I kept forgetting what day it was. I did remember it was Thursday just in time to take the week's trash out to the curb. You never want to forget the trash when the city only picks it up once a week. It's hard to believe that it's already been a full week since I left for Titusville and Kennedy Space Center. I wonder how many weeks or months it will be before I pack my bags again?

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3918

Did I do anything at all today? It's hard to say. We certainly got an early enough start on the day. It was interesting to watch the sky change from heavily overcast to nearly clear as dawn approached. A thin crescent moon, Venus, Mars, and several bright stars would pop in and out of the clouds as we walked. The heavy cloud cover actually reflected the city light and made things appear a little brighter than they should. Area rowing clubs were already out on the lake practicing in the dark. The sculls had little electric port and starboard lights that we could see in the distance. I wonder why these guys start so early? Cyclists start pretty early as well. Janet and I are usually the first people walking their dog.

We walk early so Janet can take a class at the gym. I have no reason to get up early at all. Usually these early starts just leave me with more idle time later in the day. I used to like watching the news as a drank my morning smoothie, but current events have spoiled that. There's nothing good on the news these days. I just watched the Weather Channel this morning. Come to think of it, the Weather Channel wasn't very encouraging either. Wildfires are still raging out of control on the West Coast and another hurricane is headed for the Gulf Coast. I'm glad that all we have to deal with at the moment is high humidity.

The Sky and Telescope editor told me not to send high resolution pictures to the magazine at this time. He wanted smaller lo-rez images to look at while he was putting the layout for my article together. This gave me something to do today. I downsized all my McDonald Observatory images and got ready to send the smaller files to the magazine. There is no real urgency to this project. As I mentioned the other day, my article won't appear until February of 2021.

I also paid some online bills today and made a halfhearted effort to reconcile my account. I still can't find the missing transaction. I'll give it another month or so. If the missing amount stays the same, I'll just make a journal entry to even things out again. I've done this before. It's a lot easier than fretting over small mistakes.

There was nothing happening on the Boca Chica live feed today. There were still people in the chat room though, all speculating about the uneventful video they were looking at. I hesitate to join these conversations. Spending inordinate amounts of time watching construction workers weld bits of metal to something that looks like a stainless steel grain silo is just an open admission that you don't have a life.

Apple introduced a new Apple Watch today. It looks exactly like the old Apple Watch. It's hard to get excited about Apple product introductions anymore. Do I need a phone that is a little faster? Do I need a watch with three new watch faces? When you are retired, the answer is almost always no. I just wish I could keep my older equipment running forever. As far as I'm concerned, the older stuff is almost always better.

I hate the new Facebook layout. Blogger has a new layout that looks almost as bad. I keep switching back to the older legacy view, but it's getting harder. Now, Facebook will only let you look at things the old way for 48 hours at a time. What's the point in trying to make everything look the way it does on your phone? I'd rather have my computer look like a magazine. Actually, I'd rather just read a magazine. Hey, a Luddite can dream. One of these days I'm just going to go back to writing this journal on paper.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2029

Years ago, I made one of those micro loans that are supposed to help people in developing countries buy a cow or plant more rice or something. I completely forgot about the small loan, although from time-to-time the investment would deposit quarterly interest payments of $2.50 in my Paypal account. Much to my surprise, I received a notice the other day telling me that the loan had been paid in full and my principal was being returned to me. I kind of liked the symmetry of the whole transaction. I had helped someone I didn't even know and many years later, the money came back to help me pay for Dot's cancer medication. I think the principal will pay for one month of Palladia pills. This is the way money should work. You help someone buy a cow and then the favor is returned when you least expect it to help extend a dog's life. This simple investment was never designed to make anyone rich, but there was an honesty about it that just doesn't exist on Wall Street. Unfortunately, simple honesty seldom pays the bills. With two high maintenance dogs, a laundry list of prescription medications to take every month, and an insatiable desire for the latest gear, I'm afraid micro loans are just a symbolic gesture. I still need the stock market to go up.

I spent most of the day cropping and re-sizing photos for a media presentation. I could have saved myself a lot of time if I'd just shot the photos in a 16x9 format in the first place. Hey, how was I to know that this is how they'd end up being used? I could have batch processed the files to save time, but then nothing would have been cropped correctly. There must be an easier way to do this, but I still find myself opening up each individual image in Photoshop, cropping it manually, applying color correction, and then finally reducing the file size a bit so it will load quickly on the destination device. I think I did a good job cropping hundreds of photos, but I have a feeling that half the images won't end up being used anyway. That's just the way it goes in my world.

Dot seemed shaky again today. It remains a mystery to me why she wakes up strong some days and is weak and shaky on others. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to her energy levels. Some days she's full of energy, even on those hot days when she should be tired. Then there are times when she has no energy at all, even when the weather is perfect. It's just as confusing trying to figure out what causes her to poop in the house. She'll be right on schedule for three or four days at a time, and then the next day poop will just fall out of her. Her diet is consistent. I am consistent about feeding her and taking her outside. Maybe this is just an inevitable part of the aging process.

One of my favorite doctors is closing his practice at the end of the month. I made an appointment well in advance to see him one more time before he disappears forever. Today, I got a call from the clinic saying that the doctor would be in surgery on the day of my appointment and that I would have to reschedule with someone else. "But I scheduled this a long time ago," I said. "I specifically wanted to see this particular doctor." "I understand," the nurse said, "but he is completely booked until he leaves at the end of the month." "You'll have to choose someone else," she told me. It hardly seems fair, but then what is fair these days? Not much, I suspect.

Cisco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1874 - Superbowl Sunday

So, we're eating dinner and watching the big game and the power goes out. What? It was a clear, pretty day with no weather issues at all, so this was a big surprise. I'm pretty sure I know what happened. The power service to our neighborhood is so pitiful that it just wasn't up to the challenge of everybody cooking dinner and watching TV at the same time. I went out to the back to make sure that we hadn't just thrown a breaker switch somehow. All my neighbors were doing the same thing. Who would have thought the power would go out on Superbowl Sunday right in the middle of the game? I'll have to give the power company credit though. They restored power in less than an hour, which is record breaking time for them. I bet they got a lot of angry calls.

They must have aired all the good commercials while our power was out because I certainly didn't see any. The commercials this year were even worse than last year's lackluster showing and last year was pretty bad. Nobody seems to have a sense of humor anymore. The half time show seemed more like a Fourth of July fireworks show than a concert. I'm sure that Katy Perry got rave reviews from her fan base, but this Superbowl performance didn't hold a candle to Michael Jackson and Prince in my somewhat long-in-the-tooth opinion. The only thing I did like about this year's Superbowl was the game itself. It was a great game, although I still can't believe that the Seahawks didn't win. They had so many chances to put this thing away and they still managed to lose.

Earlier in the day, I went to the legendary Superbowl sale at my favorite clothing store. The last thing I need are more clothes, but I came home with a shirt and a nice pair of shoes anyway. The store was really crowded today. There's something about 75% off that seems to attract people. I can't say that I understand my attraction to nice clothes, since I seldom wear them. I walk the dogs in my oldest, most comfortable jeans and some well worn hiking boots. The jacket I wear on cold days is probably fifteen years old and I could run my business in my underwear, since I seldom leave the house. If there's ever an occasion to dress up though, I'm prepared.

Today was a good day to get the water off the roof, since it was clear and sunny. There was an enormous amount of standing water, but it's all gone now. I didn't make it to the gym this week at all, but my water removal gymnastics should count as a pretty good workout. I ought to make a workout video. Pushing hundreds of pounds of water off the roof with a push broom is really hard work.

After breakfast this morning, I reviewed the pictures I shot yesterday, made my picks, and burned everything to a DVD. I hope everyone likes the pictures, because it would be hard to recreate them now. I'm glad to have this job behind me, even though it was interesting and kind of fun. Now it's time to start editing the video I shot just before leaving for Vandenberg Air Force Base.

I miss the small, very talented, group of space geeks I met in California. I'm sure there are a few folks like this in Dallas, but I certainly haven't met them.

Myles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day