Day 4960

My request for credentials was approved with less than two days remaining until the EchoStar Jupiter 3 launch. Jeez. This just isn't going to work. Most flights are already fully booked and the few with remaining seats are ridiculously expensive. I think the weather in Titusville will be OK, but the launch is at night making photography more difficult. All I remember about night launches is getting eaten alive by bugs. Maybe I'm just making excuses. If I really, really wanted to go I'm sure I could make it happen. I'm just not feeling very enthusiastic about anything this summer. Hopefully skipping this launch won't hurt my ability to get credentials in the future.

It's not like I'm doing anything exciting in Dallas on Wednesday. I'm just tired and feeling poor. There have been way too many household expenses this year. Oh, well. There will be other launch opportunities in the Fall. It will be cooler in Florida then and hopefully my enthusiasm will have warmed up a bit.

Today was a typical Monday. We had a very nice sunrise walk with Dawn, but three hours later it was already too hot to spend much time outdoors. The forecast doesn't look very promising. It looks like triple digit temperatures for the next ten days. It's too bad we get most of our rain in early Spring. Summers are often bone dry. We're watering our lawn frequently now, but it is looking pitiful.

Now that the weekend is over, I'm back to eating shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast. I checked my messages after breakfast but my mail is almost entirely spam these days. I didn't get the credential notice from Space X until early this evening. I waited a while before heading to the gym this morning because I've learned that if I go between 11 AM and noon there a much better chance of finding a space in the parking garage.

Today was a little strange. When I went on the court to shoot baskets, one of the trainers seemed to want to shoot with me. He must have been bored or maybe one of his customers didn't show up. I told him I was just shooting free throws, but he kept being encouraging and passing the ball back to me every time I missed a shot. Strangely this made me better. I was eager to get off the court and I made my ten baskets in record time. I'm sure the guy was just trying to be friendly, but he didn't realize what a loner I've become.  At least nobody followed me and encouraged me to walk faster on my three mile excursion around the indoor track.

I tried to stay out of the way this afternoon. Monday is the day Janet cleans the floors and she doesn't like me in the way. Dawn doesn't like me in the bedroom either, so I was stuck in the office for a while. I always feel a bit guilty when Janet cleans. I try to keep the place tidy, but dusting things has never been a priority for me. Cleaning has never been a group activity. I have my household chores and Janet has hers.

Tomorrow will be more of the same. I think this hot weather is going to go on forever. I"ll probably have some regrets tomorrow about skipping the EchoStar Jupiter 3 launch. I'll get over it though. When I finish paying the July bills, I'll realize that I couldn't afford the trip anyway. 

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4896

It was a beautiful launch this evening. The weather cooperated. There were no serioous problems with the rocket, and the launch took place right on schedule at 5:37 PM. Since the AX-2 Mission was going to the International Space Station, the launch had to take place exactly at 5:37 PM. A delay in the launch was not an option. With an instantaneous launch window and weather deteriorating for the rest of the week, it was a good thing the Axiom team was able to get off the ground today. The weather looks bad tomorrow.

There are always a few dramatic moments in any launch. Today there was a small leak in a nitrogen attitude control system that the first stage booster uses while returning to the landing Zone. There was also a threatening anvil cloud getting close to the three mile exclusion zone surrounding the launch pad. Anvil clouds produce lightning and a lightning strike to a rocket in flight is never a good thing. Fortunately all obstacles were overcome and the Dragon capsule is already on its way to a rendezvous with the international space station.

The day got off to a very early start. I had to pick up my press credentials at 5:45 AM. No breakfast today. The restaurant wasn't even open yet when I left the hotel. After picking up my credentials I joined a group of photographers being bussed out to the launch pad to set remote cameras. I don't set remote cameras myself, but I like taking pictures near the launch site. There was an hour delay when one of the shuttle busses hit a pole in the press site parking lot, knocking one of its rear view mirrors off. The bus seemed fine, but NASA is very strict about its rules. We had to wait for a substitute bus and driver.

I returned to Titusville to get some lunch after our trip to the launch pad. I had to go to Sonny's and get some barbecue, even though the brisket gave me heartburn on my last visit. It's a good thing that I don't take many of these trips. My blood pressure and resting heart rate always go up when I travel. I never sleep well either. My life in Dallas may be boring at times, but it does keep me healthier. 

After lunch I returned to the press site for some interview opportunities before the launch. I'm never very comfortable doing this sort of thing, but the magazine wanted me to try to interview some of the Axiom people. I guess the interviews went reasonably well. I may not be a real journalist, but I'm learning to act like one. I'll be able to incorporate a few quotes from my interviews into the article I'm going to write.

I had no camera problems today. I've been plagued with minor camera problems on recent launch visits, but today everything went perfectly. I think the pictures came out pretty well. Maybe I got lucky, or maybe  I'm finally learning to be more methodical and consistent about launch photography. Hopefully, I'll get a good night's sleep tonight before heading back to Dallas tomorrow. I don't know when I'll be back here again, but I'm glad that these periodic launch visits still give me pleasure. It was a very good day today.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4890

Today was busy. I talked with the roofers and made sure they still wanted to start tomorrow, even though there was rain in the forecast today. They assured me that the weather would be fine and so far the weather apps on my phone seem to agree. It did rain today, but the thunderstorm was very brief. Dawn and I both got our walks completed without getting wet.

After breakfast I wrote a letter to my sister and took it to the post office. I didn't have a lot to say, but I'm always good at answering mail. Somehow after all these years, a letter received in the mail still seems more real and important than e-mail. I'll often ignore the e-mail I receive, but I rarely ignore a letter.

I got my press credential notice from Axiom Space today, so I'll be attending the AX-2 launch on Sunday. I still have mixed feelings about going to this launch since prices for everything keep going up. There aren't many things that still capture my interest, so I think it's worth the effort to hang on to the few things I still enjoy. The magazine I write for seems very interested in this launch and wants me to try to get interviews while I'm down at the space center. I'll give it a try, but it's not that easy to secure interviews with astronauts. I did sign up for a media teleconference tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll ask a question, I also finished making all my reservations for the trip this afternoon and now I feel poor again. 

We had a brief but very intense storm this afternoon. I'm getting sick of all this rain. I was going to remove the pumps from the roof today, but I ended up needing them. Hopefully with the new roof in place, I will never have to use these pumps again. Since the roof hasn't leaked during the most recent storms, I'm beginning to question my decision to get a new roof. Replacing a flat roof is a lot more expensive than putting on new shingles. I guess I made the right decision. I've had problems with this roof for many years and they aren't magically going to disappear just because I don't want to spend the money.

The new printer we got recently won't stay connected to our WiFi network. It's getting irritating. Every time there is a power outage the printer loses it's settings and I have to reprogram it again. Somehow a whole house WiFi network is a lot more trouble than just plugging things into an Ethernet cable. My computer is starting to feel sluggish as well. I really don't feel like upgrading equipment at this stage of my life, but everything I use is starting to feel obsolete. Truthfully, I've grown tired of being online. Maybe when I complete my 5000 day blogging goal, I'll pull the plug on everything and just disappear. I think I could live without computers fairly easily.

The roofers are supposed to begin work early tomorrow morning. The last I heard they are supposed to arrive around 7 AM. I hope all the noise up on the roof doesn't freak Dawn out. She's scared of enough things as it is. We won't be able to let her outside in the yard without a leash for a few days. Construction crews are notorious about leaving gates open. I hope this goes well. I'd really like to get this house in shape again and then never have to think about it anymore for the rest of my life.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4857

The weather has been perfect for the past several days. The skies are clear and blue on our sunrise walk with Dawn and there are white puffy clouds when I take my long walk later in the day. Everything is green now. All the trees have leaves and the wildflowers are in full bloom. It's a pleasant time for walking, which is a good thing since that's all I'm doing these days.

I still haven't heard anything about the Viasat-3 launch. Another launch photographer told me that Space X is only giving journalists a 2 or 3 day notice about credentialing status these days. That's a shame since Southwest Airlines tickets will definitely be more expensive at such short notice. I'm assuming that I'll get approved but I might not. You never know.

Some neighbors stopped us to talk on our early walk this morning and Dawn did really well greeting their dogs. She used to be nervous around these dogs, so I think the training class is helping her. Janet said she did well in class tonight, although she is not heeling as well while wearing a harness. We're still not putting anything around her neck after learning about the bulging disc in her neck. There is no point in aggravating something that is already a problem.

My Fitbit quit working this morning, so I have no record of today's walk. I don't know why this bothers me, since I already know exactly what the Fitbit was going to tell me. I've done this walk so many times that I can gauge my pace pretty exactly by just listening to my footsteps. I know where all the mile markers are and how long it will take me to arrive home again. I still like to look at the Fitbit though. This afternoon I figured out how to get the thing started again, but I still don't know what went wrong.

It's a good thing that Janet and I like ham. There's a lot of leftover Easter ham. I've been having ham sandwiches for lunch and more ham for dinner. We may have to freeze some of this. At this rate I'll be eating ham until June. It's a shame that there are no more holidays coming up for a while. I always enjoy a good holiday.

I'm a little surprised that there hasn't been a call for volunteers out at the observatory this year. Usually I get called at least once a year. Maybe it's just as well. I have serious misgivings about driving that far again. On the other hand, I love that place once I manage to make it out there. It's quiet and peaceful and the night skies are incredible. The Astronomer's Lodge has a really good cook too. I'd go out there just for the meals.

This week has really gone quickly. You'd think I'd be bored to tears since I basically do nothing all day. I putter around and before you know it the day is over. It's probably a good thing that I don't have clients anymore. I'm slower about everything now. I don't know how I ever managed to get so much stuff done back in the day.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4856

Another slow day. At least the weather was nice. Dawn enjoyed her early walk this morning and still seems fine after we discontinued her pain medication. I'm glad she's feeling better. I still see people photographing the baby owls when take our walk. Those little owls are getting a lot of exposure.

I still haven't heard anything about the Falcon Heavy launch next week and am beginning to wonder if I've been forgotten. Usually I get some sort of notification even if my application for credentials has been rejected. There's still time, but the launch is getting pretty close. Is chasing rockets even worth it? I wonder. I probably should be planning a trip to Brownsville for the first Starship orbital launch next week, but I have little interest in going to South Texas. I guess I'll just wait and see if I hear anything from NASA later this week.

You'd think I'd find something new to occupy my time, but I keep following the same routine day after day. My long walk has become extremely predictable. So many things are the same that I keep an eye out for little differences. There's always something new. Sometimes the air smells different. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of illusive park animals. Occasionally I see rare or strange cars. Park department workers are always doing something different. This week they are making large piles of brush along the shoreline that will get hauled away later by other park workers. They always seem to be mowing the grass.  I'll be glad when the mowers make it around to our side of the park again. The grass in the meadow behind our house grows fast.

Since it was a nice day, Janet and I tried to rake up the remainder of the leaves in the back yard. Since a lot of the remaining leaves were in the Asian Jasmine ground cover, it was hard to remove them without ripping up the ground cover. We did our best. The yard does look better now. Dawn watched us while we worked and ended up completely flattening a small patch of Monkey Grass that was just starting to grow. She loves to roll in the grass, which I guess is better than rolling in the dirt.

I have little interest in yard work or home repairs anymore. You can't ignore these things though. I wish it were easier to find people I trust to do these things for me. My problem is that I don't really trust anyone. The office is filled with things to occupy my time, but I've lost interest in most of them as well. It's been ages since I've picked up my guitar. I can't even remember how to use some of my recording gear. I still have a passing interest in photography, but that's fading as well. I guess it's a good thing that I still enjoy chasing rockets. Everybody needs something they enjoy.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4849

Another slow day. A few things got done, but not very much. I had a telephone meeting with my financial advisor this afternoon. These meetings used to happen more frequently, but I don't have much to say anymore. The market goes up and the market goes down. You really can't outsmart it indefinitely. I basically just wished the guy luck. I certainly don't think I could make better financial decisions on my own.

I got a message from my accountant that he'd finished doing my taxes and they've been filed. I think I lead a simple life, but my tax return always looks complicated to me. At least taxes are done for another year. Now the only thing on my to-do list is renewing my driver's license. It's kind of depressing that I'm not making money anymore, but I had some good years. Things could be a lot worse. I need to remember that I'm not in debt or losing a lot.

The weather continues to baffle me. I was surprised at how cold it was this morning since the temperature was over 90 degrees yesterday. It warmed up later, but I had to wear a jacket on our early walk with Dawn. The day was kind of dismal. It looked like it was going to rain all day, although it never did. There is more rain in the forecast late tonight. Luckily there are no severe weather warnings.

I tried again to find out whether I've been credentialed to cover the upcoming Viasat 3 Americas launch. No luck so far. The friends I wrote in Florida haven't heard anything yet either. I guess I'm just going to have to live with last minute notices and higher airfares. I did receive a notice from the National Reconnaissance Office asking me if I'd like to attend a pre-launch Media Day for the NROL-68 mission. Sure. I'd like to go to all these things. It's just a shame that travel is becoming so expensive.

At least walks in the park are still free. I hope these walks are doing me some good, because they are becoming boring. I could always walk somewhere else, but that would involve getting in the car and driving somewhere. It's so much easier to just head out the back door. I walk the same route every day and usually see the same ducks and geese. A lot of times I see the same people too, although I don't know who they are. I guess a lot of people like to exercise in the park.

I think Dawn is back to normal. She hasn't fallen or appeared to be in any discomfort for over a week. We're going to discontinue her remaining medication in a few days an see if that makes any difference. We're trying real hard to keep her from jumping, but that's hard to do with a Dalmatian. At least she's getting better at using her step to get on and off the bed. We all continue to take things one day at a time. Luckily, most of the days are good.

Dottie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4848

The weather continues to follow its unpredictable ways. It was over 90 degrees this afternoon. Yikes. That just doesn't seem right. Even though there were clear skies for most of the day, we are under another severe weather alert. It's supposed to start raining pretty hard in about an hour from now.

I tried to finish mowing today but the mower's battery died again before I could complete the back yard. I can't decide whether to replace the 24 volt batteries or replace the entire mower. Mowing the grass is one of my least favorite things, but it is good exercise and I still don't like the idea of paying a lawn service. At least our yard is small. Pushing the mower still feels tiring although it doesn't take all that long. I'll charge up the mower again and finish the rest tomorrow.

It was too hot to give Dawn an afternoon walk, but she did get a nice early morning walk. It's hard to keep her from eating grass in the park. I don't know if this is a nervous habit or if she really likes the taste. Sometimes she gets a blade of grass stuck in her throat and starts coughing. Usually a drink of water solves the problem but she doesn't seem to understand that eating grass is a bad idea. I guess it could be worse. Petey, one of our earlier Dalmatians, was obsessed with eating other dog's poop.

I went to the bank and then came home and paid the early April bills on my computer. After the mower died and put an end to my lawn care efforts I did a load of wash. Next came the day's real chore: a long walk in 90 degree weather. I completed my six mile route and even managed to get over 20,000 steps today but it was an effort. How did I do this last summer? I guess I was younger then.

All the White Pelicans in the park are gone. Their numbers have been decreasing for over a week, but I didn't see a single bird today. It seems like they stayed a little longer last year, but it's been a warm Winter. The birds spend the summer in North and South Dakota and then return the following Winter. They've been doing this for as long as I can remember. I think birds are a lot more predictable than people.

I've been wondering why I haven't heard anything about my credential request for some upcoming launches at Kennedy Space Center. Today I discovered that my only media contact at Space X no longer works there. Now who do I ask about Space X launches? People move around a lot these days. My contact list is basically worthless. Every time I try to contact someone, they are no longer there. Hopefully I will still get credentialed, but you never know. 

Nothing is very predictable anymore. In the time it has taken me to write seven paragraphs, tonight's severe weather alert has expired and the storm headed our way don't look nearly as bad. I think we're still going to get some heavy rain but we'll have to wait and see. I don't have a lot of faith in the weather forecast anymore. Whatever happens, we still need to get Dawn outside and pee before we go to bed.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4847

We had a little bit of everything today. There were clear skies this morning and we were under a tornado watch this evening. I walked indoors at the mall and Dawn got a nice walk outdoors when we resumed her regular Sunday outing. I even mowed the grass today, although that was somewhat of a failure. It's time to replace the mower batteries again.

There were few signs that we were going to have nasty weather later in the day when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk this morning. It just felt like a nice Spring day. Janet had to help evaluate a dog this morning, so I had my weekday breakfast of shredded wheat and berries while Dawn pouted in the bedroom. I told Dawn that she was still going to get her outing later, but I don't think she believed me.

After breakfast I went mall walking. I'm always surprised at how many things change week-to-week at the mall. New stores open and others close on a regular basis. There's certainly a lot of activity. Some stores change their window displays every single week, while others haven't changed anything in several years. I still have no desire to buy anything, but it's a pleasant experience to do my five laps around the mall perimeter. This is as close as I need to get to the rest of society.

I wasn't sure that Dawn was strong enough to take her regular walk at her Sunday park, but she was full of energy today. She did well. We're reduced her meds to a minimal dose and she still doesn't seem to be in any pain. Dawn hasn't fallen or stumbled in almost a week. These are all good signs, but we are still a bit cautious. Right now it seem like the muscle tear in her shoulder was the cause of the falls instead of the bulging disc in her neck. Either way, we still need to keep her quiet for a while longer. Dalmatians are so full of energy that they are often their own worst enemy when they are trying to heal.

I really need to find someone to mow the lawn for me instead of continually trying to keep our old mower running. Lawn care prices have always seemed high to me and we have a small yard, so I keep thinking that I can do it myself. Pushing the mower is getting harder though. Oh, well. At least I made an attempt today. I'll finish things up when the weather turns nice again.

I was a bit surprised to be under a severe weather alert this evening. The weather had been nice for most of the day, so this kind of came out of left field. Luckily the storm wasn't as bad in our part of town as the Weather Channel had been predicting. We got about ten minutes of very heavy rain and that was it. There was no hail and definitely no tornado. I think other parts of the state did get tornados though. It's that time of year.

I had to pick up a prescription this afternoon and once again discovered that GoodRx had much better prices than my Part-D prescription drug plan. I'm still not sure how GoodRx actually works. It's not a drug plan and you don't pay anything to use the app. Today I paid about a third of what I would have paid using my Part-D plan. The Part-D prescription drug plan prices are considerably less than retail as well. If there is so much flexibility in drug prices, why don't the pharmaceutical companies just charge less in the first place? It would be tempting to just drop my Part-D coverage, but I suspect that GoodRx only covers certain drugs. I have a feeling that a lot of expensive cancer drugs or the Sovaldi I had to take for Hepatitis-C wouldn't be listed on the app at all. 

I need to pick up my unsold gear at the music store this week and decide what to do about my broken large format printer. It would be nice if I'd hear something about my credential status from Space X, but I'm not holding my breath. They'll probably wait until the last minute to send out notices again. At least Dawn is getting better and we weren't hit by a tornado tonight. Everything else will eventually work itself out.

Miracle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4843

Where did today go? I don't think I did anything worth mentioning all day. It was too cold to mow the grass and I didn't feel industrious enough to start anything new. I just shuffled through my regular routine and before you know it, the day was over. 

Lately I've been preoccupied with aging equipment. My computers, phones, and watch can't be updated anymore because latest operating systems aren't supported. In prior years this would have been a good excuse to buy something new, but I have no desire for new gadgets anymore. My frustration isn't that the stuff is getting old, it's that Apple doesn't support it anymore. I have no real desire for a new large format printer either, but I hate broken stuff. I feel compelled to fix or replace the broken printer even though I will probably never use it again. I tried to convince myself that I need a large format printer to make huge prints of my rocket and milky way photos, but there is no wall space to hang more pictures. That was used up years ago. It's silly to buy an expensive printer to make three or four prints anyway.

Our pretty Spring weather seems to have disappeared. There was some light rain early this morning and more is on the way tomorrow. This didn't stop me from walking though. Dawn got a nice early morning walk and I took my regular long walk later in the day. I discovered that the photographers I've been seeing weren't looking for the eagles after all. Evidently there was an owl in a nearby tree that had babies recently. I already have pictures of an owl tending babies, so I doubt that I will join the other photographers. Owls are interesting to photograph though and they don't tend to fly away as you approach them.

It's amazing that the days go by so quickly since I basically only do two things each day. I try to walk at least six miles and I write my blog. I know that it's good to have goals but these are kind of silly goals. Why six miles instead of five and what's so special about 5000 days? These activities do provide structure though and they eat up a huge amount of time. I'm not sure what I would do if I didn't walk everyday. I don't really think of the walks as exercise anymore. It's just a way to spend the day.

We thought Dawn was well enough to go back to her training class tonight, but she had to come home early because she seemed to be favoring one of her front legs during an exercise. She seems fine now and seemed fine during the day, but it's really hard to tell how she's really feeling. Dogs hide pain well, especially if the pain is minor. All we can tell is that is walking normally again and the swelling in her neck has subsided. I wish she didn't shake her head so much, but she has always done this and I doubt she's going to stop.

I wish I'd hear something about the April launches I've applied to attend. Sometimes I don't know whether I'm going to get press credentials until a few days before the launch. This means that I never get any bargains on airfare and sometimes it's hard to find a hotel. Covering launches still seems worthwhile though. What else am I going to do with my time?

I hope it doesn't rain much tomorrow. I'm getting so tired of dealing with roof leaks. You're probably equally tired of hearing about them.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4823

I got a lot done today. I signed a contract with the roofers to replace our roof. I went and got a haircut. I kept an eye on Dawn while Janet was away. And I still had time to take my long walk. I should have started the walk about twenty minutes earlier because it started raining again on my way home and I got soaked. No harm done, although the thunder and lightning made me a little nervous. I definitely don't want to be struck by lightning just because I was determined to get my steps.

Dawn seemed pretty steady today and there were no falls. She seems to be retaining a lot of fluid and her neck is still swollen though. It's kind of hard to tell what's going on because the medications she is taking make her sleepy and lethargic. This is on purpose because our vet wants her to stay quiet and as inactive as possible to let the inflammation subside and give everything a chance to heal.

Oddly, Dawn seems friendlier toward me now. I don't know if she is just too tired to leave when I sit down on the bed with her, or if she's finally starting to realize that I'm trying to help her. I'd like to think the latter, but who knows. She's a dog and will continue to follow her canine instincts.

The roofers want to start on the new roof in April. Let's hope the weather is better by then. The roof leaks started again within an hour after today's rain started. The leaks aren't bad, but it never got dry enough to start hunting for where the water continues to get in the house. It's probably just as well that I didn't attempt further repairs. I don't need to be disappointed again. The roofers are confident that they can eliminate the low spots that are causing all the standing water. I take everything they say with a grain of salt though. Roofers are always confident before they start a job.

I applied for press credentials to attend another Falcon Heavy launch in April. I'm almost sure this will end up conflicting with the roof replacement schedule, but we can work that out later. After the exceptionally rainy Spring we've had this year, I'm definitely going to need a trip to Florida to put this all behind me. It doesn't look like I'll be going to the observatory this Spring. I never got a volunteer request from them this year and their busy Spring Break season starts next week. I'm kind of glad that I don't have to make that decision. I'm still not sure I'm up for a long drive to West Texas.

Hopefully Dawn will continue to get stronger. She actually had a pretty good day today. My day wasn't bad either, although I wasn't wild about getting soaked when I was taking my walk. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I don't want any surprises.

Val is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4807

I'm tired. I did a lot of chores today that I've been trying to avoid. I knew that bulky trash pickup was this week, so I raked leaves right after breakfast. It's a good thing I started early because the trash trucks came today. I thought they were coming tomorrow. I hadn't finished by the time the trucks arrived but at least three big bags of leaves got hauled away. I guess I'll get the rest of the leaves next month.

Dawn wore her No Flap Ear Wrap on our early walk this morning. We hope this helps the hematoma on her ear to heal. I wasn't aware of how often she shakes her head. She does this a lot when she's outside. The device really does a good job of keeping her ears in place and Dawn doesn't seem to mind wearing it. Lets hope it works.

It was really warm today. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my long walk and was still hot. By mid-afternoon it got up to over 80 degrees. This isn't like February at all. Even though the weather was nice, I was fairly slow this morning. This was probably because I had already been raking leaves for over an hour. I just don't have as much energy as I used to. I still managed to walk six miles. It just took me a little longer. I always try to convince myself that it's better to go slow than to quit, even though on many days I'd much rather just take a long nap.

With 80 degree weather I knew the roof would be dry, so I managed to lug the big bucket of Armor Flex silicon up on the roof and used it to patch the holes where the coating had torn. There was only about one gallon of liquid silicon left in the bucket, but it was enough to fill most of the bare areas. This stuff is so old now that I'm not even sure if it is good anymore. It's got to help though. I'll try to go up on the roof again tomorrow and see if the coating I applied dried properly. I hope this works because it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow. The roofing company still hasn't called me with their bid, but I'm not in any particular hurry to get started. I know the job is going to be expensive and the rainy season isn't over yet. I guess I can keep setting buckets under the leaks until Spring.

The Crew-6 launch got postponed until Monday. I doubt that this matters much to me, since I still haven't heard whether I've been credentialed or not. It's odd that I haven't been either accepted or rejected yet with the launch so close. Usually I would have heard something by now. Maybe this is a sign that I should just plan to skip this launch. There's a good chance that it's going to rain this weekend anyway and I don't want to leave Janet with a bunch of leak buckets to manage.

It's weird to have the air conditioner running in February, but at least the air conditioner is working fine. I've just about given up trying to predict this weather. I wouldn't be surprised if we're freezing again soon. I know we've still got a lot more rain to look forward to, but I hope it stays dry long enough for the silicon patches I applied today to dry. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I probably didn't fix the roof, but at least I got rid of some leaves today.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4796

The roofing guy was nice and seemed knowledgable. He didn't like my idea about going back to a tar and gravel roof, but the solution he proposed seemed reasonable. At first he wanted to put a new roof over the existing roof, but we've already been down that road. I made it clear that I wanted to remove the existing roof material, check to make sure there was no rotted decking, and then apply a completely new roof. Lord knows how much that's going to cost. The guy said he'd have a firm estimate in three or four days. No hurry. I think it would be crazy to do this before it gets warmer anyway. This company came highly recommended, but so did the companies that replaced my roof before. I don't have a lot of faith in roofers.

It was so cold today. This was a total surprise to me, since it was nice yesterday. Dawn seemed fine on her early morning walk, but I made a mental note to dress warmer when I took my long walk a little later. Part of the problem today was the wind. A cold winter wind isn't very pleasant to walk in.

I waited until after the estimator finished his roof inspection to take my long walk. I was thinking that it would get warmer if I waited until later in the day, but actually it seemed to get colder. At least there was no rain. The ducks and geese seemed hungry today and would chase after anyone who came near them at Sunset Bay. I would think it would be pretty miserable to be a duck in the winter, but then I'm not a duck. I'm certainly glad I don't live up North anymore. I have no tolerance for cold weather.

Despite the cold I managed to complete my six miles and get my steps. I'm persistent and it takes a lot to keep me indoors. The walk is getting boring, but I'm a creature of habit. Since the park is huge, I could easily take a different route but I seldom do. I think I follow the same route day after day because it's easy to compare results. I know exactly how long it takes to reach various points along the way on both good and bad days. I'm not a competitive person by nature, but I do compete with myself from time to time. It's always nice to get better at something. Even walking.

I didn't do much this afternoon, but the day still seemed to go quickly. The roof is still leaking a little but I don't hear a lot of dripping water anymore. Probably by tomorrow morning all the leaks will have stopped. Actually I'm surprised that the roof is still leaking at all. It seemed pretty dry when I was up on the roof with the estimator this morning. There is no rain in the immediate future but I'm sure it will rain many times before a new roof can be installed. 

I hope I hear something about my application for Crew-6 credentials soon. Sometimes NASA waits until the last minute to issue credentials and then the airfare to Orlando becomes more expensive. Hotels are often more expensive if I wait until the last minute to book as well. There's nothing I can do about this, so I just wait. Last minute credentialing is no problem for the launch photographers who live in the area. It can be a problem for me though. I wish I could plan ahead.

I do have a plan for tomorrow. It's grocery day for me. If I go to the gym at all, it's usually on Saturday. We'll see how the day goes. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow afternoon and shoot some baskets. I'm getting tired of counting ducks in the park.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4792

Where did the day go? I certainly didn't accomplish much today. It was a little chilly outside but there was no rain. It was foggy when we took Dawn on her early morning walk and it was very windy when I took my long walk later in the morning. I was hoping for a warm, clear day, but I'll take what I can get. I'm still dreading the rain that is supposed to start early tomorrow morning.

I didn't realize how addicted I've become to my Fitbit until the app crashed this morning and I couldn't count my steps. I don't know why I even need this thing, especially since I walk the same route every day and know exactly how long it is. The variations in the speed and distance I travel are so small that I can usually guess my pace and the number of steps I've taken at any point in time. All this really proves is that I can take any activity and make it boring.

Against my better judgement I applied for press accreditation to attend the Crew-6 launch. I didn't get accepted as a social media correspondent for this launch, but maybe I'll have better luck as a magazine reporter. The Crew-6 Mission will be exactly like all the other crewed missions I've attended at Kennedy Space Center, but I'd still like to go. Strangely, I feel like I belong when I'm down at a launch. I seldom feel that way in Dallas. It's a shame that Titusville is so far away and travel is so expensive. I'd go to every launch if I could. Kennedy Space Center and McDonald Observatory seem like home to me now. I've published numerous articles about my experiences in both places, but it still seems like a very expensive hobby. Oh, well. There are worse things to waste money on. At least I'm not buying watches or electric trains these days.

I don't know whether I still have seasonal allergies or a persistent cold. I've had a runny nose for weeks now. I don't feel sick, but the constant nasal drip is irritating. I use those heavy duty Scott blue towels as Kleenex now. It's surprising how quickly I can run through a roll. If I forget to put a few Scott towel squares in my pocket when I'm walking, I'm miserable. I wonder how long this is going to last? I'm used to Spring allergies and even Fall allergies, but a runny nose all year long is a little much.

I've noticed that the operating systems I run on my computers are called "antiques" now. Apple stopped updating my version of Safari years ago. This is causing problems since quite a few websites I use have quit working correctly. I can still use the latest version of Firefox for transactions, but Safari is becoming next to useless. I stubbornly refuse to buy a new computer and pay for subscriptions to Photoshop, Microsoft Word and just about anything else that is actually useful. Why can't I keep using Sierra or High Sierra forever? I haven't changed since these operating systems were considered state of the art. If Sierra and earlier Apple operating systems were perfectly good when my business was flourishing, why should I be forced to start over when I'm basically just killing time? This attitude is probably why I no longer have any web development business. I celebrate the old and the obsolete. I like my old computers, my old Nikon film cameras, and I wish I still had my Citroën SM.

I hope that tomorrow's forecast is wrong. Dawn still needs her early walk and I don't relish the idea of driving to the gym in the rain. All the buckets are clean and ready for use, but the thought of dealing with more roof leaks so soon after our last big rain is depressing.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4785

The weather was dismal today. The temperature never got above freezing and the sleet that everyone had been predicting has finally arrived. I think it's going to be like this for the rest of the week. This is definitely not my favorite type of weather, but there's not much I can do about it.

I shouldn't complain though. The furnace is working well and the house is warm. Although it is currently sleeting outside, the volume of water falling from the sky is much less than a heavy rain. Maybe the roof won't leak. I didn't drive anywhere today because I didn't want to encounter icy roads, but the weather didn't stop me from walking.

I wasn't the only one who wore two coats today. Even Dawn wore two coats on her early walk. It was still dry outside this morning, but it was very cold. We were all glad to return home to a warm house. After breakfast I went out walking again. I wasn't ready to give up on getting my daily steps. I dressed very warmly, but this was one of the coldest walks I've taken in over a year. At about mile three I was beginning to question my sanity. I probably should have gone to the gym instead because the sleet and freezing rain didn't start until after dinner this evening. There certainly weren't many people on the trails today. I only encountered two other people on my walk.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I tried to make a doctor's appointment, but never could reach anyone. After a long wait on the phone, I was just told to leave a message on voicemail. I ended up making the appointment using the clinic website. I don't think anyone picks up their phone anymore.

This afternoon I filled out my 2023 credential application with the 45th Space Wing. This should have taken about ten minutes but ended up taking hours because the PDF document the Space Force sent me was formatted wrong and it was almost impossible to enter my information. I should have just printed out the blank form and entered the information by hand. Eventually I finished the form and sent it back. The information on this year's form was exactly the same as it was last year. Nothing had changed. Even though I wasted a lot of time, it was worth the effort. There are always a few launches where the Space Force provides much better access than NASA. You can't have too many credentials if you want to chase rockets.

I don't think we'll be going anywhere tomorrow. If the sleet continues, there's a good chance that the roads will be icy. We'll still probably take a morning walk with Dawn unless the weather is really bad. I'll reserve judgement on walking further. I like getting my steps, but I'm not fond of falling on my ass. If it's slippery outside in the morning, we all may just stay in the house all day. Dawn is not fond of nasty weather. I think she'd rather stay under a blanket on the bed.

Malcolm is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4768

It's been a very busy day. I made it to Florida and am looking forward to getting a little sleep before leaving early tomorrow morning to pick up my press credentials. The day started normally enough. We gave Dawn her sunrise walk and then I had my regular breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit. It didn't take me too long to finish packing, so I even had time to take a short walk in the park before leaving for the airport. Dawn is a smart dog and she knew something was different today. She seemed a little nervous when I left, but I talked to Janet later and she said Dawn was fine. Friday is grocery day, and when Janet got back to the house with groceries Dawn was a happy camper again. She'll probably be even happier when she grabs my spot on the bed tonight.

I can't say that Southwest Airlines is fine yet. They've still got some work to do to get back to normal. I wish they'd told me that they'd closed a big section of the parking garage. I didn't discover this until I was already inside the garage and couldn't get out again. It took me forever to find a parking place. I had to park in a completely different area and I'll probably have a hard time finding my car when I return.

Flights to Orlando are always completely full. It takes a long time for people to board and even longer for them to find a place for their luggage. There are usually tons of kids on the plane and I ended up sitting next to a very talkative teenager today. The kid seemed scared of flying and every time he heard a strange noise he kept asking me what the noise meant. His Mom gave him something to eat before going to her seat in the back of the plane and within ten minutes the kid had dropped his sandwich on the floor and managed to spill a big Diet Coke all over himself. Luckily the bottle wasn't pointed toward me or I would have been a sticky mess.

Even though we left Dallas late, we arrived in Orlando right on time. The pilots must have just flown a little faster while they were in the air. I always try to get a rental car with in-dash GPS but these things don't seems to exist anymore. I didn't feel like messing with CarPlay, so I just drove to my Airbnb by memory. I found the place just fine even though it was dark when I arrived. I've been to Titusville enough times now that it's beginning to seem more familiar to me than Dallas.

For some reason I've only got a one hour window to pick up my credentials early tomorrow morning. I need to be sure to set an alarm tonight because I'm tired and it would be easy to oversleep. After I pick up my badge, I will head over to the Press Site where a bus will take the launch photographers to the pad to set remote cameras and get some close up photos of the rocket before launch. These trips out to the launch pad are always my favorite part of a trip to Kennedy Space Center.

The Falcon Heavy launch itself is early tomorrow evening. It looks like it is going to be a clear day, but it will be very cold by Florida standards. The weather forecast says it will only be 36 degrees in the morning. That's colder than it is in Dallas right now. I brought some extra sweaters, but I'm beginning to think I didn't dress warmly enough. I went to a nearby grocery store after I arrived to pick up some food for my stay and it is already pretty chilly outside. This isn't like Florida at all.

I"d better post this and get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4765

I received a notice today that my application for press credentials was accepted, so I will be heading to Kennedy Space Center soon to attend the USSF-67 Falcon Heavy launch. These last minute notices make me nervous, but the Space X folks are probably doing the best they can. Things change rapidly with almost any launch and they probably weren't even sure the launch would take place until today's successful static fire. Hey, at least I got credentialed. The weather looks good so far as well. Airfares look terrible though. I thought Southwest would be offering some deals to win back customers after all the problems they had a few weeks ago. Nope. The current fare to Orlando was the highest I've ever seen. The Airbnb I like was open though, so that's good. I've really got to stop fretting about this stuff. There are many launch opportunities and I can only afford to go to a few of them anyway. It wouldn't have been the end of the world if I missed this one.

The laser pointer accessory I ordered for one of my star trackers arrived today but I couldn't figure out how to assemble it. I wrote the company a letter saying that I thought a part was missing. A few hours later I noticed a video on the company website with operating instructions. My bad. I just needed to unscrew the top of the unit so it would fit on the star tracker adapter. I felt kind of stupid, because after looking at the video I felt that I should have been able to figure this out myself. These type of things are going to happen more frequently now. Growing old isn't pretty.

It was foggy outside when we took Dawn on her early walk this morning. Ground fog in the park is often very pretty, but cameras and dogs don't mix well, so I didn't get any pictures. We had a nice walk though and since we started a little later, we didn't even need our flashlights.

I got a late start on my long walk today because I needed to make all my reservations for the Florida trip. By the time I left the house it was warm enough to wear shorts again. I think we set an all time temperature record today. It got up to 83 degrees. I'm sure it will get cold again, but I'll take this warmer weather whenever we can get it. It didn't feel like January at all today. It felt more like April.

I hope all these long walks are actually helping me. Sometimes I wonder. I'm certainly not building any muscle. They say building muscle mass is much harder as you grow older. I'm probably going to have to get serious and spend more time lifting weights. I'm thin enough as it is. I wish I enjoyed going to the gym, because I've certainly got the time. I prefer walking though because I can daydream and let my mind wander. I'd never make a good gym rat.

I can't decide what to write about on this trip to Florida. The USSF-67 Mission is almost identical to the USSF-44 Mission which I've already written about. I doubt that the magazine is going to be very interested in another article about the same thing. I already have a Falcon Heavy article in the January issue. Hopefully, I can think of something interesting in the next day or so because I'd like the magazine to stay interested in me.

Dawn is finally starting to relax around me. It's about time. Maybe we'll eventually end up being best buddies after all.

Murphy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4756

Not a lot happened today. I still can't get over how different Dawn seems when everyone is home. She is a happy dog again. After an energetic early morning walk, I made the bed and ate my breakfast. I went back to my weekday breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit because Janet left early to catch up on her grocery shopping.

I returned to mall walking today. I was actually a little surprised the mall was open on New Year's Day because it was closed on Christmas. Most of the Christmas decorations had already disappeared and all the store windows displayed large sale signs. If you were in the market for overpriced clothes, this would be a good time. I was surprised to see a huge line outside the Lego store. Something big was happening, but there was no indication in the store window. I have seen similar lines outside the Swatch and Nike stores in the past and didn't know what was going on there either. Clearly I am not on the need to know list for these type of events. Lots of adults seem to be interested in Lego products. I had always thought this was a store for kids.

On the way home I listened to a program on NPR about how a largely unknown hockey player named John Scott was voted by fans to be a team captain on the 2016 all star team. This vote angered the NHL and they asked him to decline the honor. When he refused the league orchestrated a trade to a minor league team in Canada where he was ineligible to play on the all star team. I had never realized that there was so much intrigue and pettiness in the world of hockey. Not surprisingly there was a big fan backlash and the league was forced to reinstate Scott as a team captain. I don't know what happened after that, because I had arrived back home.

When I returned from mall walking, I found Dawn waiting to go on her Sunday outing. She definitely hasn't forgotten her normal routine. I didn't even need a jacket for this walk. It was a surprisingly warm day, especially considering that we were all freezing just a few weeks ago. Dawn definitely had more energy than I did. By the time we returned to the car, I was walking well behind Dawn and Janet. Of course we all had to have an ice cream cone before we returned home. Dawn hasn't forgotten about ice cream cones either.

I had vague thoughts about doing something productive when I woke up this morning, but that never materialized. Sundays are seldom productive. I basically just walk on Sundays although I don't really accumulate that many steps. I am still fascinated by Fitbit results. My heart rate is remarkably consistent when I walk at the mall. This is probably because I am walking in a flat, climate controlled environment. When I walk outside in the park, my heart rate is all over the place. My outdoor walks are clearly better exercise, but it gets boring sometimes. I was glad I went to the mall today.

I wonder when I am going to hear something about the upcoming falcon heavy launch? I thought I would have received my credentials by now, but I have heard nothing. My connections to the world of rocketry are tenuous at best and I'm always worried that I'll fall off the approved list. I don't think that NASA or the magazine I write for care nearly as much as I do about this. Old retired guys like me still need some legitimacy and validation.

I have no idea what I'll be doing tomorrow. Hey, it's a new year, so I guess anything is possible.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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