Day 3809

I started looking for new walking shoes today. There are so many choices. I probably have enough shoes already, but none of them are comfortable on long distance walks. Should I wear a boot or a light weight running shoe? Maybe something in between? Do I need a custom orthotic? Maybe the shoe isn't even the problem. Do I have a hairline fracture? I went to a podiatrist once who x-rayed my foot and just said I had an unusually high arch. He prescribed an orthotic that looked just like the kind you get at the drug store except it cost ten times as much. I think it was made of carbon fiber. Shoes are irritating to me. I've tried all kinds and have occasionally listened to experts. Most shoes are comfortable for three or four miles and then all bets are off. Now that I'm walking more, I can't wait to take off my shoes when I return to the house. I guess I'll try again, but the effort seems futile. Maybe I should just try swimming.

I couldn't figure out why the park was so crowded today. I don't think it is a holiday. Maybe virtual school is over for the kids. There were a ton of children in the park this morning with there parents. I thought it was Saturday for a while, but it is just a regular Friday. Maybe everybody else is having trouble keeping track of the days too. They all seem the same. I had to check a couple of times today just to make sure it wasn't Saturday.

I'm kind of glad I didn't go to Florida now. There is so much unrest in the country and the weather isn't very cooperative either. It seems like a good time to just stay home an mind your own business. It does seem weird that just a few days ago we were all talking about staying six feet apart and now there are massive protests with thousands of people packed tightly together. Just like that, everyone forgot about the virus. It's hurricane season too. How long before a giant hurricane sweeps up the East Coast? 2020 definitely isn't shaping up to be a good year.

The liquid nitrogen treatments on my skin are finally showing results. I thought something would happen right away, but apparently that's not how it works. I can feel skin dying on my face and the splotchy appearance the doctor promised is starting to appear. I'd glad he told me not to worry about this, because it definitely feels odd. Hope the freezing treatment works. It is definitely preferable to cutting.

My train dealer sold another model train to someone in Belgium today. I think we were both surprised. Inch by inch, the collection slowly continues to sell. Sales are at a snails pace though. I don't think the entire collection will sell in my lifetime. Maybe I'll have to leave the rest of it to the Dalmatians. At least the artwork sold quickly. I think I've already lost interest in downsizing.

Dawn is slowly getting used to being in the car. Janet continues to practice with her every day. Who knows. Maybe there's a car trip in her future after all.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3673

I got a notice today that a few more of my trains have sold. It seems so long ago that I decided to sell my collections. The guitars have been sold. Most of the art has been sold. The train collection still lingers however. I guess this makes sense. Younger people have no interest in model trains. When Janet and I traveled to Palestine, Texas recently to see the Union Pacific Big Boy steam through town, most of the onlookers were even older than we were. The only young people in the crowd were people's grandchildren.

I still like trains. I haven't traveled on one in years though. Who has the time to take a train anymore? We briefly thought about taking Amtrak to McDonald Observatory last Fall since there is still a stop in Alpine, but the trains frequently run late and are quite expensive. It made more sense to rent a car.

Today was slow. I paid a few bills and took them to the post office, but that was about it. I wish the weather would make up its mind. It was so warm today that I didn't even need a jacket on my walk. The temperature actually got up to 75 degrees this afternoon. It's weird to be thinking about wearing shorts and a t-shirt for a walk in the park at the same time I'm thinking that I need a warmer winter coat for my trip to the observatory.

I still haven't made any reservations for my trip to Florida. Airlines, rental car companies, and hotels all have these loyalty programs that promise big savings if you book now. When you read the fine print, you discover that the only way you get the savings is to make a non-refundable payment in advance. Never mind. I don't think I'm ever going to save a dime because launch schedules frequently change at the last minute and you have to stay flexible. I thought I was going to save 25% on my hotel in Florida until I read that fine print.

I made an appointment to get a haircut tomorrow. At my age, I'm glad I still have hair, but I wish it didn't grow so fast. Thinning hair that grows quickly doesn't look nice for very long. It doesn't seem like I should need a haircut this often. I don't understand hair styles at all. Old guys are looking like Willie Nelson and young guys are shaving their heads. I'm just starting to look like my Dad.

There's a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow. Didn't we already have thunderstorms? Since I've already committed to leaving the house, it's almost guaranteed to rain. Rain shouldn't bother me so much, but it does. You could pick a random blog post from almost any year and chances are it would mention rain. We'll see what tomorrow brings. One way or another, I'm sure I'll survive.

Kasey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3605

The dentist quickly agreed that my retainer didn't fit. After he and his assistant made several attempts to adjust the retainer so it would fit better, they eventually gave up and decided to make me a new one. I was surprised that they were able to do this while I was there. I guess there are advantages to having an in-house lab. The new retainer fit much better but it required a bit of customization before it would fit properly. I don't think my teeth are that crooked, but apparently they are crooked enough to make fitting a retainer difficult. I asked the dentist if I was too old for orthodontia and he just laughed. "I have several patients in their eighties who are wearing braces," he said. "Your mouth is fine, " he added. "I wouldn't do anything." Hopefully, my retainer problems are over for a while until I manage to break this new one.

On the way home I stopped by the vintage guitar store to pick up a check. I asked the manager who bought my guitar and he said it was the bass player of a British rock band called Temples. They are on tour now and were playing in Dallas recently. It's not surprising that I've never heard of this group, but they are popular in Europe and have been on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as well as The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I listened to a couple of their songs on YouTube and the band was pretty good. Maybe my faithful fretless P-Bass will be featured in a future Temples music video.

My application to cover the Space X CRS-19 launch didn't get accepted. It's not the end of the world, but I was disappointed. Somehow I thought it would be easier to get launch access at Kennedy Space Center now that I've had a launch article published. Apparently this is not the case. Maybe my desire to get published in print publications is actually working against me. NASA seems more interested in getting a lot of social media coverage these days. I'd rather be in a magazine than on Instagram. Hey, it's not all bad. The next time an opportunity arises I'll apply again. While I'm waiting, I'll have more time to put some travel money aside. I've already been accepted to attend three of these special launch events. I'm almost certain that there'll be a fourth one of these days.

Maybe my roof repairs have finally worked. It rained again last night and the roof still hasn't leaked. I'll need to clear away the standing water soon. The weather keeps getting colder and I definitely don't want the water turning to ice. Maybe I'll go up on the roof tomorrow. It's been such a busy week that I haven't had time yet. I go to the doctor for my annual physical tomorrow. Usually this doesn't take long, but I didn't think my trip to the dentist today would take long either. I was at the dentist for quite a while today.

I didn't get started on my daily walk until late in the afternoon. By the time I returned home it was completely dark. The weather was cold and windy, so there weren't many joggers and cyclists in the park today. There were quite a few people walking their dogs in the dark though. That's what you do when you come home from work and your dog is waiting at the door to go out. I've spent many hours walking dogs in the dark.

Chase is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3604

Today seemed productive. I didn't really do that much, but nothing went wrong. After breakfast I went to the storage warehouse to see if I might still have a copy of the banner I was thinking of reprinting. Nope. It wasn't there. I sent the file I found yesterday to the printer and told them to reprint the banner.

Next, I went to get a haircut. I was amazed to see that all the stores are already in full Christmas mode. There were Christmas trees and decorations everywhere. A crew was already putting together the little hut where kids come to see Santa. It still seems a little early to me, but what do I know. Maybe it was always this way.

My haircut took a while, but I wasn't in a hurry. When I left the mall I could have sworn there there were even more Christmas trees standing than when I arrived. I didn't stop at the Apple Store today. I have very little interest in computers anymore. I didn't stop at the Tesla Store either. When you're thinking about taking long car trips, an electric car doesn't sound that appealing. I guess it's good that I don't feel like buying things these days. I don't have the money anyway.

I found out this afternoon that the last of my vintage guitars has finally sold. The whole process took over a year but I'm happy with the results. I kept one guitar just in case I feel like playing again. I rarely take it out of its case. Maybe I'll sell that guitar one day as well. I'm a bit surprised that I don't miss anything that I've sold. I spent so long collecting some of this stuff and now that it's gone, it's quickly forgotten. I don't regret the years I spent accumulating things, but it's time to move on.

One of the reasons that I'm in a good mood is that even though it rained a lot recently, there have been no further leaks. I haven't been up on the roof yet either. I'm sure there is still standing water. Maybe my last repair attempts actually worked. Of course, a leak could still appear at any minute. That's the way it works with water. It's always waiting to surprise you. I'll leave the buckets out for another day, just to be safe.

Tomorrow, I go back to the dentist to see if they can fix my retainer. I hope they don't try to tell me that it is just fine the way it is. I'll quit wearing the contraption if that happens. The dentist seems confident that he can adjust the retainer. How? The thing is made of hard plastic and it either fits or it doesn't. I hate to make the long drive for a third time, but I'm kind of curious to see what they're going to do.

I took my walk toward the end of the day because of my hair appointment. The time change really makes a difference. I left the house around 3 PM and by the time I returned home the sun was already starting to set. All in all, I think I liked Daylight Savings Time better. I can always sleep a little later until the sun comes up, but when the day ends early you're stuck. I'd better get used to this. Early sunsets are going to be around for quite a while.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3562

I tried to tie up a few loose ends today. I called a roofer who promised me a bid back in March. He said he was still interested but was so busy that he probably wouldn't even have time to think about my roof until after the first of the year. This guy disagrees with another roofer who has already given me a bid about the best way to fix my roof. Probably my current roofer disagrees with both of these guys. It doesn't give you a lot of confidence when nobody can find a common solution to your problems.

I called about my unsold guitars and synthesizers. Just as I expected, they are still unsold. Evidently, people are interested but nothing has resulted in a sale. I'm not ready to give up yet. If I took these things back, they would just wind up in my storage warehouse again. At least a few of my guitars have already sold. I have an offer on one synthesizer, but it is ridiculously low. I've been a pack rat all my life and I thought that parting with this stuff would be hard. That turned out to be the easy part. Actually selling the stuff is the hard part.

Earlier this summer I noticed that McDonald Observatory always seems to be looking for retirees with an interest in astronomy to help conduct their weekly star parties. Since the observatory is so isolated, they specifically look for people who own an RV and can stay for several weeks at a time. It's a volunteer job, but the observatory provides a place to park the RV, electricity, and access to the observatory's facilities. This sounds like fun to a person like me. If you stayed at the observatory long enough, you are bound to have a few clear nights. Unfortunately, I don't have an RV. I'm not sure I'd like to drive one either. I was in a daydreaming mood this afternoon, so I started looking at RV's on the Internet. Jeez. These things are expensive. You could buy almost any luxury car for a lot less. A Porsche 911 and a well appointed Sprinter conversion van are about the same price. You could buy a decent house for less than some of those huge Type A motorhomes. So much for thoughts of living on the road.

I need to find a way to make my walks more interesting. The benefits of this type of exercise are obvious, but the walks are becoming boring. I guess I keep walking because being outdoors is still a lot more interesting than walking on a treadmill at the gym. The best thing about walking is the solitude. The worst thing is being drenched in sweat with sore feet. Maybe I'll enjoy things more in the Winter.

I noticed that the tree guys dumped all their lunch trash in my garbage can. Most people wouldn't be bothered by this, but I'm obsessive. I hate loose trash. I always bag and seal everything. I emptied out the can and put all the loose stuff in a big black leaf bag. I was surprised at how much food the tree guys eat on the job. I don't eat lunch at all. Falling branches and logs also damaged a few things in the yard. I expected that though. At least they didn't drop anything heavy on the roof while they were removing the tree.

I guess I'll watch the final episode of the Ken Burns documentary later this evening. I don't ever listen to country music, but I know a lot more about it now. I'm always fascinated watching the credits at the end of a Ken Burns movie. Hundreds and hundreds of people seem to work on these things. I wonder what Ken Burns actually does? I made a few documentaries back in the early 1970's. There wasn't much need for credits. It was just me and a sound man.

I got caught up on a lot of things today. That doesn't leave much for tomorrow. I'm sure I'll think of something though. I've got an entire day to fill.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3407

I've been looking for some better shoes to wear on my longer walks. I didn't need to look far. There are enough shoes in my closet to start a shoe store. Today I wore an old pair of hand made Pivetta boots that belonged to my Dad. He wore them frequently while we lived in Alaska during the 1960's. Amazingly, these 50 year old hiking boots were still in better condition than shoes I bought last year. They just don't make things like this anymore. The boots are much sturdier and more comfortable than my regular dog walking shoes. I'm torn between wearing these shoes on a regular basis and preserving them for posterity. I've typically only worn these boots on snow days to preserve the soles. The boots still have the original soles and they show minimal wear. Pivetta is still considered the holy grail by some serious hikers. Colin Fletcher considered them to be the best boots you could buy. Should I save these things or wear them out? This is always my dilemma. I have a reverence for well made objects and often don't use things that were clearly meant to be used.

I went up to the audio repair shop this afternoon and paid the remainder of my bill. I didn't take the Sequential Circuits synthesizers home with with me however. I asked the technician who restored the gear for me if he'd be interested in helping me sell it for a commission. It's worth a shot. This guy knows musicians and collectors all over the country. I don't know anybody who's looking for a vintage synthesizer. We'll see what happens. I'm certainly in no hurry. The last time I actually used these synthesizers was in 1982.

On my way home I dropped off some more things at the storage warehouse. At least I don't have to store the synthesizers yet. I should have rented a larger unit because I've almost filled up my storage space. This wasn't supposed to happen so quickly. In theory there are still lots of things I can get rid of, but it's so much trouble to sort through all the boxes. I've started storing the new stuff in large clear plastic tubs so I can see what's inside. I don't have a clue what is inside some of the older cardboard boxes. Janet is well on her way to cleaning out her storage warehouse. She wants to move out before her next renewal date. I don't even understand this concept. To me a storage warehouse is like purgatory for stuff. You put stuff in there and maybe later it goes to heaven or hell. Storage warehouses are a great way to avoid making decisions. If I had an unlimited amount of money, I'd just buy an entire storage building.

It's started to rain again. I hope I didn't bleach the ceiling in vain. I'm still waiting for one more bid to replace the roof, but I'm not liking what I've seen so far. The cost is way too high. Jeez. I bought my first house for less than the highest estimate. I may be doomed to using the sump pumps and sweeping away the standing water forever. I hate viewing every rainstorm as a potential roof leak however. It gets old fast.

It's supposed to continue raining all day tomorrow. That's the main reason I ran most of my errands earlier today. I hate to drive in the rain. Sometimes I fantasize about living in the desert but I don't like rattlesnakes and scorpions either. I'd better get used to this because the rainy season could last another month. I'll need to turn the pumps on soon. Hope I can remember to turn them off again.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3158

Buying things is easy. Selling things is much harder. This may not be true for everyone, but it certainly has been my experience. Selling almost always involves negotiation and compromise. Deals are made and broken. People change their minds. I can't say that I enjoy this process. I've never been a haggler. I pay the asking price or I walk away. Maybe this is why the storage warehouse is so full of stuff that is way past its expiration date. I buy things but I never sell.

I don't want a bunch of strangers fighting over my stuff in an episode of Storage Wars, so I guess selling is almost inevitable. Today I agreed on a lower price for some of my model trains. I reviewed a rather disappointing proposal from an auction house. What ate up most of my time was moving vintage synthesizers around. I picked up a restored synthesizer from the audio shop. I took this instrument to the vintage guitar store to consign and retrieved two more broken synthesizers and a vintage drum machine to take back to the keyboard technician. These repairs are expensive, so I'm not sure I'll make much money when the equipment finally sells. I don't have much of a choice though. I either fix the stuff or throw in in a dumpster.

This whole process of unwinding is much more difficult than I imagined. It's making me question the whole concept of ownership. I'm beginning to think that none of us really owns anything. We just rent it for a period of time. Everything passes through our hands eventually. Thirty years ago, the model train guy told me "Someday, I'll have all these trains back in my store." I didn't believe him at the time, but he was right.

While I was at the guitar store, the owner and I talked about the difficulty of calculating the future value of anything. He told me how he had spent an entire Summer's earnings while he was in college on one of the very first flat screen televisions. Then he pointed to a huge TV on the wall at the store. "I got this thing for less than $200," he told me. I could relate. I spent a small fortune once on an early model Osborne 1 computer that looked like a Singer sewing machine and had a screen smaller than my phone.

Dash let us sleep all night last night. It was wonderful. He didn't leave the bed or do anything weird at all. Around 7 AM, Dash woke up, went to the back door and peed and pooped outside, just like a normal dog. He ate well today too. When you've got a dog as old and sick as Dash, you really learn to appreciate the good days.

I wasn't very hungry this morning. A single small waffle filled me up. Janet doesn't think I'm eating enough, but I'm gaining weight. Go figure. I think I never realized how much exercise I was getting when Dot and Dash were young and healthy. Those two dogs could walk forever.

I'm hoping for another restful night. Sleeping well can make all the difference. Maybe sleep deprivation has already affected my memory. I saw something on Facebook today in memory of the lead guitar player in one of my old bands. "Did you know Woody had died," I asked Janet? "Yes", she said. "You told me two years ago."  So it begins.

Toby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3148

It was a busy morning. I walked Dash earlier than usual because I needed to drive Janet to the dentist for dental surgery. It's surprising how nice our mornings have been lately, considering how hot it gets later in the day. Dash still hadn't touched his breakfast by the time Janet and I left the house, but I was confident he would eat later. This is his new schedule. He gets up, takes his morning pills in little bites of steak and then we walk. When we return, Dash goes back to sleep. Usually, a little before noon, he wanders out to the kitchen and eats his breakfast. It seems odd to have a Dalmatian that wakes up uninterested in food, but I'm willing to go with the flow these days. As long as Dash continues eating, we're good.

Janet's dental procedure didn't take that long. As soon as I took a shower and washed the breakfast dishes, it was time to pick her up again. It was easy to see why the dentist didn't want Janet driving today. They must have given her some pretty powerful drugs. Dash was happy when Janet returned. He had someone to nap with for the rest of the day.

The guitar store confirmed that one of my guitars did sell recently. Yay. One down, two to go. The store put the guitar on layaway for the buyer, so I won't get a check until the guy finishes paying for it. That's OK. I'm kind of surprised that the whole concept of layaway still exists. My parents used to buy things on layaway when I was a kid, and it still seems like a frugal, rather sensible way to make a purchase. Layaway has definitely fallen out of fashion. People don't like dealing with delayed gratification these days. They'd rather just put something on a charge card and worry about coming up with the money later.

I think the SAMe pills we've been giving Dash are working. He's still weak, but he seems a bit more engaged and interested in life these days. He really likes his morning walks now. I'm not sure who discovered that SAMe helps with cognitive dysfunction in dogs. This stuff seems to be good for everything. I'll admit I'm a bit skeptical of a drug that supposedly helps with everything from depression and hepatitis to joint pain and degenerative myelopathy. How can a single drug help with so many non-related problems? Both of Dash's doctors believe that SAMe is worth a try though. We'll see. If it works, maybe I should start taking it myself.

Looks like another exciting day tomorrow. You'd think I'd be bored out of my mind, but I'm not. I've just about perfected how to turn a walk with Dash, a morning smoothie, an afternoon nap, and some idle time on Facebook into an entire day.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3146

If I kept this busy every day I'd be in great shape. I had 10,000 steps on the Fitbit before noon. We started out with a nice sunrise walk. It's amazing how much the temperature can vary in a single day. It was in the low seventies when we woke up and back around one hundred by dinner time. Since the weather was cool, I mowed the grass in the front yard right after breakfast. I'm going to have to buy a new battery for the mower. It won't hold a full charge anymore. I barely got the yard finished before the mower went dead. It feels like I'm always replacing batteries.

Mowing was tiring, but I went to the gym anyway. I still feel guilty for not going three times a week, so I try my best not to miss Sunday. I wasn't very good on the basketball court today. My coordination seems to come and go. I'm sure that mowing the grass before my workout didn't help. My heart rate was a bit more elevated today. Maybe that's a good thing. I think your heart rate is supposed to be elevated when you work out.

Dash is getting very picky about his food again. He even turned up his nose at his usual breakfast of a fresh chicken breast. In an effort to keep him eating, Janet decided to start cooking for him again. The recipe she picked smelled really good. It was chicken and rice with vegetables. The dish was made with no seasoning and should be very healthy for Dash. If Dash won't eat this, I'll just add a little salt and pepper and eat it myself. Dash tried the recipe for supper and liked it. Janet made quite a bit, so I hope he doesn't change his mind during the week.

I looked at the vintage guitar website today and one of the guitars I consigned was gone. I hope this means that the guitar sold over the weekend. If so, this would be very good news. The guys initially told me that it could take at least six months for the guitars to sell. It hasn't been nearly that long yet. I wish that everything in the office was as desirable as the guitars and model trains. I'd really like to clear this place out. It's going to be really hard to throw some of this obsolete stuff away, but it may come to that.

I watched the Great British Baking Show again this afternoon. I'm fascinated by baking, but bread isn't good for me. It's kind of become a forbidden pleasure. Unfortunately flour converts into glucose rather quickly in the body and I've got to watch my blood sugar. The contestants made crackers and ginger bread houses today. I had no idea that crackers could be so difficult.

Another uneventful week begins tomorrow. I hope the mornings continue to stay cool. It's amazing what a difference the cooler weather makes with Dash. He's enjoying being outside again. Evening walks are another story, but at least he gets one good walk a day.

It's a good thing that I have a high tolerance for boredom. I miss having interesting website problems to solve, but I don't miss having clients. Keeping clients happy was always a nuisance. It's interesting that I'm making almost the same thing selling model trains as I was designing websites. I don't know if this means the trains were more valuable than I thought or the websites were less valuable than I thought.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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