Day 4869

I should have been packed by now, but as usual I am way behind. Guess what I'll be doing after I finish this blog post. I'll be fine since I've done this many times before, but I do wish I was a little more organized. So far, the weather doesn't look great for the Wednesday launch attempt. I hate to turn down an opportunity though, especially when I already have press credentials. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I'll get to see something.

Dawn had a nice early walk this morning. I'm glad she is back to normal again. It's going to be hard to keep her from jumping on and off the bed, but we're working on it. We no longer use a leash around her neck and she doesn't do the jumping exercises at training class anymore, but otherwise her life is just the same as it has always been. 

It took me longer than expected to sync my laptop with this morning. I like everything to be exactly the same when I travel. I meant to only transfer the launch related e-mail messages, but I did something wrong and ended up transferring thousands of unwanted messages instead. Oops. Usually I erase old messages from the server before I sync the two computers, but I guess I forgot today. At any rate, all the batteries on my devices have been charged. Now I just need to throw a few clothes in my suitcase and I'm ready to go.

I made good time on my long walk today. It's a mystery to me why some days are better than others. I didn't feel particularly energetic this morning, but I was definitely faster. I passed a crew pouring concrete for a new sidewalk this morning. The park department seems unusually active this year. I haven't seen this much activity for a long time. Maybe they're trying to use up their budget before the fiscal year is over. It's hard to request an increase when you still have money left over from the previous year.

We don't see photographers around the tree with the baby owls anymore. Have the owls already flown away? They didn't look old enough the last time I looked, but I don't know that much about owls. I need to go down and inspect the tree myself, but that will have to wait until I return from my trip. I'm curious about the baby owls, but not that curious. I still look for the bald eagles whenever I walk, but other than a chance encounter on one of our early walks with Dawn, I haven't seen either of them in ages. I'll probably see eagles in Florida. There are a ton of bald eagles at Kennedy Space Center.

I hope there are no flight delays or heavy rain tomorrow. Driving from Orlando to Titusville at night in heavy rain is not fun. Southwest Airlines has certainly had its share of problems recently, but hopefully tomorrow will be a good day. I really wish I'd gone ahead and filled out my application for TSA Pre. I should have taken care of this by now. Oh, well. All it means is that I'll be standing in a long line again for my return trip.

I guess I'd better post this and go back to packing. I need to remember to pack a small travel umbrella. I know it's going to be raining on Wednesday.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3634

I think we're ready. The costumes, the set, and all the camera gear has been packed up and is ready to load in the car. The new backdrop looks good and everything appears to work. Tomorrow morning we begin the first of this year's Santa Paws events. These Christmas photos have become a popular fundraiser for Dalmatian Rescue and we will be busy. Hopefully all the dogs will be well behaved and none of the equipment will malfunction. We used to just take pictures of dogs with Santa, but now people bring their children and other pets as well. Hey, why stand in line for a shopping mall Santa when you can have your picture taken with the best dog Santa in town.

I woke up to the sound of hammers pounding nearby. I looked out the window and our neighbor was putting on a new roof. Actually, a lot of people in the neighborhood are putting on a new roof. Probably the insurance settlements from last Summer's big storm finally arrived. Why is it so easy for people with a conventional roof to get insurance to pay for roof damage and it is always so difficult for me. I've had large trees fall on our roof and the insurance agent just shrugged and said he didn't see any damage. Basically, when shingles blow off in a wind storm, insurance comes to the rescue. When standing water slowly causes a leak to develop over time, insurance does nothing.

I went out for breakfast again this morning after staying home on Friday for the past month or so. Why won't restaurants let you order a child's portion of anything on the menu? Better yet, why don't they just make their portions a little smaller. I grew up learning that I needed to finish everything on my plate and the habit of cleaning my plate persists until this day. I'm always too full when I go to a restaurant because I am unable to leave with uneaten food still on my plate. Today's breakfast was good, but it reminded me that it's better to stay home where I can control the portion size.

I haven't started packing for the NASA trip yet, but I did get the laptop ready. I thought by connecting Safari to my iCloud account, I could avoid having to remember a lot of passwords. No such luck. I was able to merge my bookmarks, but none of the website passwords transferred. Maybe there was a reason for this, but it just meant extra work for me. I made sure that the airline, hotel, rental car, and NASA information web sites worked, saved the passwords, and then called it a day. Most of this stuff is already on my phone, but like most things in life, it's always good to have a backup.

After running a few errands, writing a letter to my sister, and getting the photo gear organized, I was surprised to discover that there was still time for a walk. I knew I would be returning in the dark again, but I've become a slave to Fitbit and needed the steps. I also need my sleep tonight, so I'm going to try to go to bed early. Lots of luck with that. I never seem to get to bed early.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day