Day 4926

Applying for TSA Pre was pretty much like going through the TSA line at the airport. Annoying is the word that comes to mind. I arrived just in time to see their input machine crash. The girl that was taking people's information had to call tech support and she must have been put on hold because it took forever to get the computer started again. 

After a while she restarted the machine and began processing the next person in line. The computer crashed again before this person got finished. Another call to tech support and the agent was told to turn off the machine for fifteen minutes and let it cool off. The line of people waiting to apply for TSA Pre kept getting longer but the agent said there was nothing she could do and I think she left for lunch. Eventually the machine got fixed and I got processed. The agent asked me all the same questions that I'd already filled out online. Why? I asked if this machine crashed a lot and the agent said "all the time." When I got finished being photographed and fingerprinted, the agent said I'd receive my card in 60 to 90 days. "But the website said 5 to 10 days," I blurted out. She just gave me a dirty look.

Oh, well. At least I can cross this task off my list. I'm sure I'll eventually receive the card about five days after some launch that I really wanted to attend. I keep wondering why this card is even needed for positive identification since I just got finished answering virtually the same set of questions when I renewed my driver's license. The new "Real ID" driver's licenses are supposed to do pretty much the same thing as the TSA Pre card. Why can't we just use our driver's license to avoid taking our shoes off at the airport? 

The Texas heat wave continues. The combination of high temperatures and high humidity is becoming a news story now. You really don't want to be outside for long in this heat. It was already pretty warm when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. I think the humidity is worse than the heat. You feel like you are walking through soup. Dawn only gets one walk a day now. It's way too hot to take her for a walk in the afternoon.

It was too hot for me to walk in the park as well. On my way home from applying for my TSA Pre card, I stopped at the gym. I wasn't in the mood to do a full workout today, but I walked around the indoor track until I got my Fitbit steps. I wish this gym was a little closer to home, but other than that I'm pleased with it. I may be spending more time there this summer. According to the weather apps on my phone it's going to stay hot and very humid for at least another week

Janet got a new phone today and I may have to do the same thing soon. All my Apple devices are so old now that they are no longer supported. My Safari browser is the worst. It hardly works at all anymore. Even though we have a fiber optic network, everything seems real slow around the house. I'm beginning to think my Luddite sister is right. Who needs this stuff? I definitely liked the old Steve Jobs version of Apple better than the current Tim Cook version.

The dog days of summer are definitely here. I wake up without a plan and usually just wish I could go back to sleep. I don't think much is going to happen tomorrow but I could always be surprised. 

Alamo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3946

I voted today. There was a line, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the lines I've been seeing on TV. The whole process took me about thirty minutes from start to finish. The line moved smoothly and everyone was very polite. I think all sides were well represented at my polling place. Behind me in line was a nervous looking guy wearing a N-95 mask with a clear plastic visor on top of it. Ahead of me in line was a couple wearing Duck Dynasty t-shirts. I don't really understand the controversy about voting in person. My experience this afternoon seemed easier, safer, and much less chaotic than going to the grocery store.

I'm officially a Sky & Telescope contributor now. I signed a contract with the magazine this afternoon. Working with this magazine is very different than other magazines I've written for. They are very detail oriented. They also pay pretty well, which was a welcome surprise. I'm used to getting paid in author copies of the publication. I don't know if I will ever become a prolific author of articles about astronomy and space travel, but this is a good start.

The weather was cold enough this morning to require long pants on our morning walk. This is the first time this season that I haven't worn shorts. Dawn loved the cooler weather. She not only seemed strong on today's walk, she actually seemed frisky. All our Dalmatians have preferred cold weather. We have sweaters for really cold days, but usually the dogs think wearing a sweater is ridiculous. 

About half the Pelicans have returned to Pelican Bay. I have no idea where they went yesterday. I also have no idea where the other half who didn't return are today. I don't know why Janet and I spend so much time trying to guess what the ducks and pelicans will do next. We have very little knowledge about the habits of waterfowl. The birds are interesting though. I'd rather speculate about ducks than the people we encounter in the park.

My seasonal allergies were so bad this morning that I took an Allegra-D for the first time this season. The pill appeared to do nothing. I woke up with a stuffy nose that was making me breathe through my mouth. As soon as I got dressed, the stuffy nose turned into a runny nose. I went through quite a few of those blue Scott shop towels on our morning walk. I don't even use Kleenex anymore. It just isn't strong enough. My congestion cleared up a bit later in the day, but I still don't know if there was a change in air quality or it just took a long time for the Allegra to kick in. I guess I'll take some antihistamines with me on my trip. I don't like how they make me feel, but I don't like a constant runny nose either.

The Delta IV Heavy launch got delayed again. Maybe if the NROL-44 mission keeps getting delayed it will eventually take place at the same time as the Space X Crew 1 mission that I've already been approved to attend. It is doubtful that this will happen, but it would be nice to be able to see both launches with a single trip to Florida. The Crew 1 mission keeps getting delayed as well. So far, these delays are fine by me. The later the launches are scheduled, the more likely it will be that hurricane season will be over. Colder weather means fewer bugs as well.

I hope the air is clear tomorrow. These seasonal allergies are driving me nuts. Dogs get allergies too, but mostly it shows up as skin irritation. I don't know if itchy skin would be worse than a runny nose. Luckily, Dawn doesn't seem to have any allergy problems.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2628

Today was an improvement. Both dogs slept all the way through the night without any disasters or medical emergencies. Dash held down his food today, even though he seemed a little tired and disoriented. Getting him eating again is the most important thing now. We'll worry about the residual effects of his vestibular disease when we get him stabilized. Dot seemed more comfortable today as well. I've been trying to fine tune her pain meds so that her discomfort is controlled without turning her into a vegetable. So far, giving her the regular dose of Gabapentin at bedtime and cutting the dose in half at breakfast and lunch seems to be working. The pills won't make her stronger, but they do seem to make her less agitated and allow her to sleep peacefully. These are all little things, but I think we made some progress today.

To celebrate today's progress, I thought I'd reward myself with a nice bowl of Pho. There is a new Vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood and I've been meaning to try their noodle soup ever since they opened. There is something about Pho that is very satisfying. It's a simple dish made with broth, rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and meat. Basically, it's just soup, but it is so flavorful if it is made correctly. I wasn't disappointed today. I picked up my take-out order on the way home from the post office and enjoyed an early dinner as soon as I got home. The portion sizes on all the take-out meals I order always seem huge. After I ate what seemed like a gigantic, steaming bowl of Pho, there was still enough left over to make another meal tomorrow.

Yesterday, I got a letter from my bank saying that I needed to stop by my branch and confirm some contact information on my safe deposit box. This seemed strange, since I've never changed or modified any information since I opened the account. At any rate, I stopped by the bank on the way to the post office, thinking I could take care of this problem in a matter of minutes. A banker told me that I would have to wait in line behind a lobby full of old people. I'm an old person too, but I wasn't like these people. These were the kind of people who drive ancient Lincoln town cars and wear socks with their sandals. I have no idea what these people were waiting for, but just by looking at them, I knew that their questions were going to take a long time to answer. I asked the banker if there was a time when there weren't any people in the lobby and he just rolled his eyes at me. I think I'll try this again later.

I got a request today to remove a page from a website that I'm almost certain that I removed five years ago. I checked, and sure enough the page was still on the server. Oops. Occasionally, when a hosting company does maintenance on their servers, they will restore a site from a back-up copy. I suspect that this is what happened. They must have restored something that I erased a long time ago. I bet there are a lot of other ghost pages out there. I mostly work with a local copy of the sites I manage and rarely look to see what is actually on the server. I'm kind of superstitious about erasing things on the server. I used to use the server as a convenient archive for all versions of the sites I design, but I can't do that anymore. Google can still find the unlinked pages I've discarded and clients get mad when people click on links to this outdated information. It was easy enough to remove the offending unlinked page, but I still miss the days when the Internet was simple and fun.

It's going to be hard to convince Dash to eat dry food again. He's really liking the canned Hills Prescription ID I'm feeding him to settle his stomach. Dot must like this food too, because when Dash is finished eating, she will come over and lick his bowl. I guess we'll take this one day at a time. Dash still seems to have vertigo and appears dizzy at times. Until he is stable, he can eat anything he wants.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1046

I passed a polling station when I was running errands today, so I decided to take advantage of early voting. As usual, my first thought when voting was, "Whoa, if all these people ahead of me in line can actually vote, we're screwed." My next thought is often "Hmm, I wonder if these electronic voting machines are actually hooked up to anything?" Voting using a touch screen is still a bit disconcerting to me. Where does your vote go?  Once you are finished voting electronically, there is no proof that you did anything at all. At least when you buy something in a store, you get a receipt. I've never gotten a receipt for casting my vote in my life. It is all an act of faith.

While I was waiting in line, I saw at least five large red signs that clearly said No cell phones or digital cameras allowed within 100 yards of the polls. I also saw at least fifteen people checking their Facebook accounts with their phones within a few feet of the door that led to the voting booths. So much for that rule. There were also signs warning people not to engage in campaigning in front of the polling station. This sign seemed to be ignored as well. There was a guy holding a huge placard standing right by the front door, asking everyone to vote for his candidate.  It took me about 45 minutes to go through the line and press all the buttons on the touch screen voting machine. I'm done now, although I will continue to wonder if my vote will actually be counted.

I hope my guy wins, but I'm not expecting any miracles whatever happens. I've never seen the country as divided as it is right now. Whichever presidential candidate happens to win will still have to deal with the other half of the country who thinks he's the devil incarnate. Polarization leads to Paralyzation. I am increasingly convinced that we have lost the ability to reach a consensus on anything at all and are headed for permanent gridlock. It's kind of sad. The unified spirit that won World War II and took us to the moon has dissolved into petty bickering. Instead of unity, we have become tribal, with no loyalties beyond our own little tribes.

Hey, at least my new furnace works. It was forty degrees outside this morning and the house was toasty warm. The air doesn't seem to flow through the vents quite as fast with this new furnace, but the thermostat works better, so the net result is about the same. I think the cold weather is going to continue through the weekend. At least we don't have to deal with the "Frankenstorm" that is headed toward the East Coast. I'd hate to have a new furnace and no electricity.

For the second week in a row, I forgot to take the trash out to the street on Thursday evening. The only reason I managed to get my trash picked up today was that I heard the garbage truck banging and rattling down the street and rushed out to greet it with my can. I can take comfort that I've resolved one memory loss moment, but I still have another one to deal with tomorrow. The local health food store is giving cholesterol screening blood tests in the morning and I need to remember not to eat breakfast before I go in for my test. Sometimes I remember these things. Sometimes I don't.

Pearl is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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