Day 4934

I finally got the new phone configured. Why did I get this thing? It really doesn't seem that different than the old phone. With the phone and Apple Watch both updated to the latest operating systems, all I really notice is that the watch battery runs low even faster now. Sometimes I think the latest technology is of dubious value. I was probably happier with a clunky old Oki 900 cell phone and an ancient Mac running System 9.  

Our heat wave seems to have no end in sight. Even our sunrise walks with Dawn are pretty warm these days. These early walks are still the nicest part of the day. There is usually a nice breeze and it's easy to convince yourself that the day won't be that bad. We're starting to see lots more people on these early walks. I'm sure that almost everyone has discovered by now that just before sunrise is the only time worth going outside.

I returned to the gym after breakfast this morning. I still wonder how this place stays in business. It never seems crowded. I walked three miles around the indoor track and spent about twenty minutes on the basketball court, but I don't think I'll be able to close all three rings on my Apple Watch today. I didn't install the activity app correctly yesterday and it measured nothing last night and early this morning. Walking endlessly around a small indoor track is boring, but at least it's cool inside. I've noticed that almost everyone has a fixed routine that they follow. I guess I'm not the only one why does the same things over and over again. I should make more of an effort to improve myself while I'm working out. On most days I barely work up a sweat. I could do better, but it's far too easy to convince myself that I'm in great shape just because I'm not as fat as some of the other people walking around the track.

When I returned home I figured out how to get my phone paired with my car again. I'm glad Google exists, because I never would have figured this out on my own. I kept entering the wrong PIN number over and over again before I finally realized that this wasn't a number I used on my phone or computer. It was a special Land Rover number. I don't know why I made the effort to do this today. It's been ages since I've gotten a phone call while I was driving.

I don't do much in the afternoon these days. Cracks in the ceiling taunt me and I still haven't mastered the star tracker yet but the only thing that seems appealing is a long nap. I often wish I was working again, but I can't be bothered to look for new clients. I'm not even sure what I would have to offer. It's pretty easy to put up a decent looking website just using a template from GoDaddy. I'm sure there are other writing jobs out there, but the pay is minuscule. I'm happy enough just writing the occasional article for SpaceFlight Magazine. 

Janet took Dawn to training class tonight, but they came home early because it was too hot outside. I imagine that it will be too hot outside tomorrow as well. This seems like the hottest summer I can remember. I could be wrong, of course. I don't remember things as well as I used to.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4921

The weather won today. For the first time in ages I didn't go on a long walk. I didn't even think about it. The temperature was in the nineties and today's humidity was the highest ever recorded in Dallas. It seemed like a good day to go back to the gym.

I must not get out much because I noticed all sorts of new thing on the drive to the gym. The DART trains seemed to be running at half speed. I wonder why? I got stuck at a crossing forever waiting for two trains to pass. One of the streets between my house and the gym was completely closed. Why again? My favorite rib place seems to have new owners. The sign on the building has changed. Actually my gym seems to have new owners as well. I couldn't sign in with the old app on my phone and had to download a new app from a different company. Has it really been that long since I've been to the gym? Maybe so.

I thought I'd do the same exercise routine I regularly did five years ago and got a rude surprise. It was a lot harder this time. Where has my strength gone? The hand bicycle was much harder than it used to be. I tried running on the treadmill instead of walking around the indoor track. This worked pretty well to get my heart rate up, but I can't remember the treadmill being this strenuous before. I methodically worked my way through  most of the machines I used to use and marveled that these exercises used to seem like a piece of cake. I had a good workout, but strangely didn't seem to burn any more calories than I typically do on my long walk. Apparently climbing up and down hills and sweating in the hot sun is good exercise too.

I'll probably continue going back to the gym until this horrible weather has run its course. Not only was it hot and incredibly humid today, there was also an air quality alert. Maybe the Canadian wildfire smoke has reached as far south as Texas now. It was certainly hazy today. When we took our sunrise walk with Dawn this morning I thought the hazy sky was fog. Nope. It was probably smoke. It was reasonably nice outside when we took Dawn on her early walk, but as soon as the sun peeked above the horizon I could instantly feel the air get warmer. Dawn didn't get an afternoon walk today. It wouldn't have been healthy for her.

I was pretty industrious this morning, but did virtually nothing this afternoon. Watching TV no longer seems to be a viable option. I'm sick of the endless stream of political news on the cable channels. Do they even know that other things are happening in the world? The broadcast channels are even worse. They seem to be filled with mindless game shows. Social media had become depressing as well. Instagram used to be a great showcase for talented photographers but has been taken over by influencers. My Facebook feed is just a sad list of lost dogs, people trying to re-home dogs, and rescue groups begging for foster homes so they can continue to help dogs. There just seems to be an endless list of dogs in need these days.

I'll be glad when cool, overcast days return. The park is empty on days like these and I can take my walk in peace, counting ducks and trying to identify wildflowers. I daydream and get lost in my thoughts on a long walk. Not so much at the gym. A trip to the gym feels more like mowing the grass. I do need to work on my upper body strength though, so I'm going to make an effort to go there more often this summer. At the moment it would be insane to spend much time outside.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4538

It was hot this afternoon, so I finally went back to the gym. I hadn't been there in such a long time that there were new owners and I had to enroll all over again. I still had a membership, but they wanted me to sign some new waivers that basically said that they weren't responsible if I dropped dead on the gym floor. I went through my old routines on my favorite machines, worked with some free weights for a while, and was totally dismayed at how much harder everything seemed. Use it or lose it, I guess. I really need to make an effort to go to the gym a couple of times a week this summer. My upper body strength is terrible now. I guess I've been fooling myself with these long walks. They are really just leisurely strolls.

On the way home I stopped at REI and got some new shorts for Summer. The shorts I've been wearing on my walks are practically rags by now. The store was having a big sale, but there was really nothing else I needed. I find this happening at almost every store I find myself in these days. I'm losing my desire to buy stuff. Now what? Buying things I didn't really need kept me occupied for many years.

The weather was perfect for our sunrise walk with Dawn, but she didn't seem all that interested in walking this morning. She's started her freezing in place behavior again. I thought we were going to have to turn around and go home, but then another dog passed us on the trail and Dawn decided she wanted to follow it. After that she was perfectly normal again. She didn't seem interested in the dinner I fixed for her tonight either. There was nothing wrong with her appetite though. As soon as Janet came home, she raced out to the kitchen and ate everything. I have no idea what is going through this dog's head, but it doesn't seem normal.

Janet and I went out for dinner tonight. It's been a while since we've done this and it was a nice change of pace. I've noticed that you can't just pick up the phone and make a reservation these days. Restaurants increasingly want you to use Open Table, or something similar to make your reservations online. I liked the old way better, but things change and you learn to adapt. It's weird. I made my living designing websites for quite a few years, but I'm not a fan of the online revolution. Things were better when we weren't as connected. Try explaining that to someone who has had a phone or a tablet in their hands since they were a baby though. They just don't understand.

The traffic seemed really light for a Saturday. The stores weren't crowded when I was grocery shopping this morning either. It's a holiday weekend and people must be traveling. There is such a pent up demand to do stuff after two years of Covid restrictions that I don't even think that the high price of gas is slowing down the desire to travel. There's got to be a breaking point though. I was amazed at how much more expensive my two trips this year were compared to similar trips in previous years.

We're going to have to watch the temperature tomorrow. Last week it was almost too hot for Dawn on her Sunday outing. Dawn looks forward to this Sunday trip though. If it's too hot, we'll skip the walk and go directly to the ice cream store.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4214

Everyone must be back from their vacation. The traffic is terrible again. It's weird that so many people do evereything at the same time. One day the streets are empty and the next day it's back to traffic jams. I think I'm going to look back at 2020 as a very peaceful year. I liked the slower pace of life under Covid restrictions. Now that life is getting back to normal, it's just the usual chaos of life in a big city.

Dawn had to go back to the vet today for another urine test. The first sample was contaminated and bacteria was found in the urine. The vet wanted to get a clean sample and do another urinalysis before he put Dawn on antibiotics. This was probably a good idea. Now that Dawn is eating again, a strong antibiotic could upset her stomach and make her lose her appetite again. We should find out the results soon and hope that everything is OK.

It's getting harder and harder for me to get up early for our morning walk. All I want to do is sleep these days. Luckily I can get dressed in a few minutes. Dawn and Janet are usually ready to go by the time I get out of bed. It's still really nice outside just before sunrise. It's a shame that the temperature rises so quickly.  The day starts in the 70's and usually ends up near 100 degrees.

It was too hot for me to take my walk in the park again today. It was too hot to go up on the roof or mow the grass as well. I wonder if it's going to be this way all summer? Except for that one week where everything was frozen, we had a pretty mild winter. Now it just looks like a typical hot Texas summer.

I went to the gym again this afternoon. I'm putting a few more miles on the car since I'm going to the gym almost every day. I guess I really do need to make a service appointment. The car runs fine, but that 'service required' light is going to win in the end. I always end up doing what my mechanical masters want.

I don't walk as far at the gym as I do outdoors, but I always feel like I've had a good workout. The place is so cold that I often feel like wearing a jacket. If you stay active you warm up quickly though. I guess that is the whole idea. I mostly just use the treadmill to get my steps for the day and then do a little work with free weights to improve my upper body strength. I think I did a lot more before Covid, but who's counting.  My plan to stay healthy is simple. Keep moving and eat healthy meals. That should be enough. I probably should add getting enough sleep to the mix, but that isn't as easy as it sounds.

I ordered some replacement foam inserts for a camera case last week and got a notice today that the post office had destroyed my package accidentally in transit. I got a refund from the company, but now what do I do? Should I try again and see if I have better luck next time. It really shouldn't be that hard to ship open cell foam. 

Dawn still likes her new food. Just our luck that she has taken a liking to something that is twice as expensive as her old food. Oh, well. Life goes on. I've taken this week's trash out to the curb and am waiting for another uneventful week to begin.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4207

I think the dog days of summer are here. When we take our early walk with Dawn, it's easy to see what lies ahead. The humidity is high and as soon as the sun clears the horizon you can feel the temperature start to climb. Our sunrise walks are still the nicest part of the day. Dawn enjoys them and so do I.

I did make an attempt to find the source of the roof leak after I finished breakfast, but I didn't accomplish much. There was still standing water from the last time it rained, so I had to clear that away and let the roof dry before I could even attempt to do any patching with the silicon material. I measured the leak's location from a different corner of the house and came up with pretty much the same spot on the roof as I did yesterday. There is a seam under the silicon coating near this spot, so I think the seam has gone bad and water is finding its way in this way. When the roof is completely dry I will examine the entire seam from one end of the roof to the other and see if I can find anything.

An hour up on the roof showed me that it was way too hot for my long walk in the park. I decided to go to the gym again. The gym is making a real effort to return to their pre-pandemic hours. They have a lot of nice new equipment but they are having problems hiring staff. Nobody seems to want to work anymore.  I got a notice from the city the other day saying that they have temporarily stopped picking up the recycled trash because they don't have enough sanitation workers. Luckily, they are still picking up the regular garbage though. Everything seems to be this way. Our mail delivery has been spotty because there has been a lot of absenteeism at the post office. Restaurants and small retailers are having a terrible time finding workers. There are plenty of shitty jobs out there, but nobody wants them. I guess this just proves that when you disrupt everyone's lives for a year, there are consequences.

I've been trying to spend more time on the treadmill and other machines I use frequently at the gym . I actually did increase my heart rate and was sweating in the cold, air conditioned building today. Hey, I'm making an effort. A lot of the upper body exercises are giving me trouble because of my bad shoulder. I still don't want to consider shoulder surgery though. The recovery period is long and arduous. I've known people who have had the surgery and never regained the mobility they wanted either. As you grow older, there are certain things you just decide you can live with.

There's been rain in the forecast all day and it finally arrived this evening. The rain will be great for our new grass, but not so good for the roof. I remember going through this on previous leaks. It's hard to fix anything when the roof is continuously wet. All I can do at this point is keep the pumps running and strategically place a few buckets in the living room and kitchen. The leak is not bad at this point, but I know from experience that it can get much worse. Architects love flat roof houses, but they are nothing but trouble. Put a slope on a roof and the water drains away naturally.

I'm really glad that Dawn isn't afraid of storms.  We're getting a lot of thunder and lightning now, but Dawn is still sleeping peacefully on the bed. Any of our other dogs would have been in a total panic by now. It's weird. Dawn isn't scared of thunder and lightning, but she's scared of me. I'm glad she trusts Janet completely or life would be difficult.

The rain has been heavy this evening. I'm pretty sure I'll be listening to a drip from the ceiling as I try to go to sleep tonight. It is what it is. A new roof is inevitable even though there will probably still be standing water after it is installed. Don't ever buy a house with a flat roof.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day