Day 3798

Visiting the rescue dogs on Monday has become part of our regular schedule again. We missed seeing these guys when everything was shut down. Hank, Charlie, and Cinder are the only Dalmatians currently staying at the kennel, but we don't want to forget about them. Each of these dogs has their own distinct personality and it's fun spending time with each of them. They certainly love the attention.

Dawn is content to stay home when we visit the other dogs. I don't think she has any desire to return to the kennel. When we return from our long morning walks, she immediately hops on the bed and takes a long nap. She's found what she wanted. Dawn still loves her walks, but I think we're going to have to shorten them as the weather grows warmer. Dawn is not a young dog and Texas summers can be pretty intense. So far, it's still really nice early in the morning but I don't know how long this is going to last. Today's high temperature was over 90 degrees and it's not even June yet.

I finished filling out all the paperwork and sent my application for media accreditation to the Air Force. Hopefully, my request will be approved. There are several important launches taking place this year and I'm uncertain if NASA will return to normal operations in the immediate future. Getting military clearance might be my only chance to return to Kennedy Space Center this Summer or Fall. The magazine I write for has been very helpful. We'll see what happens. Now I've just got to sit back and wait. I'm still looking forward to covering the Mars 2020 launch in July.

I'm not looking forward to seeing the dermatologist later this week. I've known that I probably needed to have the blemishes on my face looked at for quite some time, but I've been avoiding making an appointment. My doctor finally made the appointment for me and gave me no choice. Maybe it won't be that bad, but I've seen what dermatologists do. I don't want anyone cutting on my face.

Stores are open again in Dallas, but I have no desire to go shopping. I wonder how many of my new habits will become permanent. I wash my hands obsessively now. Whenever someone approaches on a path in the park, I move well out of the way. I've always been somewhat suspicious of strangers and now I look at them like hand grenades waiting to explode. I'm not really fearful about the disease, but my natural suspicions about people have been amplified. This is probably not a good thing. Especially if millions of other people feel the same way.

I'm not sure when I'll return to a restaurant. I believe the information I'm hearing that confined indoor spaces where you linger a while are the most dangerous. Grocery stores are actually pretty safe because you are moving around and are not in one place for very long. Walking in the park is not dangerous at all. I'm glad I have no desire to go bar hopping. A crowded bar is probably the worst place you could be right now.

I know where I'll be tomorrow. We'll be walking Dawn early in the morning to avoid the heat and then I'll make my morning smoothie. Sounds pretty much like what I did today.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3797

The weather was much better today. We got up early to avoid the crowds, but apparently we didn't get up early enough. Even before 8 AM, the park was already filled with runners and cyclists. This must be the city's new exercise destination now that the gyms are closed. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. It was a Sunday morning on a very nice day.

It's pretty clear that the quarantine is over in Dallas. Traffic is back to normal and people aren't shy about gathering together in the park. When I returned later in the day for my afternoon walk, the place was packed. There were large barbecues, clusters of hammocks strung between trees, and a flotilla of kayaks on the water. Most of the large gatherings consisted of young people. Maybe they are starting to develop herd immunity.

There are still a lot of people wearing masks in the park. I suspect that some of these people will continue wearing masks forever. They will become a fashion statement or a badge of identity. There definitely aren't many who know how to wear a mask correctly. I see a lot of noses poking out on top of these masks. People take them off to talk to other people or even to sneeze. Basically, you wear a mask to show other people that you are a team player. Medically, most of the disposable earloop masks are of dubious value.

I was back on the roof this afternoon removing the standing water from yesterday's rain. Both pumps are working again, but there is still a lot of residual water after it rains. Removing the water with a big push broom is actually good exercise. I'm usually tired after I finish the job. I'm always careful, but I hope I never stumble and fall. That's the first question my doctor asked at my physical last week. "Did you have any bad falls last year," he said.  I guess I've arrived at the "I've fallen and I can't get up" stage of life. I felt like telling the doctor that I was much more careful than he was. At least I don't ride bicycles.

Dawn likes our bed so much that she gets upset when I change the sheets. I told her that everything was going to be OK and that she would be pleased when I was finished. After everything was clean, there was still dog hair on her blanket. I've noticed that the vacuum cleaner canister fills up twice as fast now that we have Dawn. Dalmatians shed constantly. You just get used to the dog hair after a while.

I had another 20,000 step day, but I didn't do anything of consequence. 20,000 step days are so common now that maybe it's time to up the ante and try for 25,000 steps a day. I'm hoping that walking will keep me in shape, but I need something to occupy my mind as well. I'll complete my application for launch access to Kennedy Space Center and send it to the Air Force tomorrow. Maybe I'll start editing my McDonald Observatory pictures and send a batch to Sky and Telescope. They haven't actually requested the pictures yet, but have indicated that they will use them when the article eventually appears. I'll be glad when they give me a publication date. Right now I don't know whether the article I wrote will appear a few months from now or next year.

The chigger bites still itch, but I've got some nice looking fresh fruit for tomorrow morning's smoothie. Life goes on.

Susie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3796

Today was dismal. You know how I feel about an all day rain. We were lucky to be able to take Dawn for a short walk before the rain started in earnest, but even on this little excursion we managed to get wet. Dawn isn't scared of storms, but she definitely doesn't like to get wet. Neither do I. I definitely got wet today. I had to go up on the roof during the rain to restart one of the pumps. Water had caused a short in an extension cord and thrown a circuit breaker. I managed to get everything fixed, but the pumps couldn't keep up with all the water. It was a very heavy rain.

I should have skipped grocery shopping this morning, but I needed more fresh fruit. I had to go to two different stores to find strawberries. All the berries destined for Sam's Club must has been delivered to Kroger instead. There was a huge display and the berries were even on sale. There seems to be an abundance of food, but distribution is all messed up. You never know what you are going to find at a store on any particular day.

The chiggers have arrived. I got my first bites of the season yesterday. I must have gotten bitten when I stepped off the path on our walk the other day to photograph some Texas Thistle for my blog photo. It doesn't take much. Now I am itching like crazy. I'm pretty good at avoiding poison ivy, but I seem unable to escape chiggers and mosquitos. We've got to check Dawn for ticks every day as well. The bugs are back for the Summer.

I'm making progress on my quest to return to Kennedy Space Center. I contacted my editor at SpaceFlight Magazine and the magazine agreed to sponsor me, providing the information I needed to apply for clearance from the military. I'll fill out the government forms over the weekend and send them to the Air Force next week. I don't know how long the approval process takes, but I hope to be able to cover the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover launch later this Summer.

I am completely baffled that so many people want to stay in lockdown mode until a cure for Covid-19 is found. Don't these people read history? There may never be a cure. It took over 100 years to eradicate polio and several early attempts at a vaccine were disastrous. To this day there has never been a successful vaccine for any virus in the coronavirus family. We all get our flu shots, but some years this vaccine is only marginally effective. The common flu keeps mutating and a new vaccine must be developed every year. Remember, vaccines don't actually cure anything. They just accelerate the process of building herd immunity in a population.

There have been other pandemics in my lifetime, but I don't remember a reaction like the one I'm seeing now. This is irrational panic. The Hong Kong flu killed well over a million people in 1969 and few people even remember it. I don't and I was there. The Hong Kong flu was a major global pandemic that caused huge disruptions in Europe, but nothing was shut down anywhere. Corpses were stored in subway tunnels in Berlin. Half the workforce in France was bedridden while the rest of us were preoccupied with Woodstock, Vietnam, and going to the moon. A vaccine was eventually developed but it didn't eradicate the disease. It remains in circulation today as a strain of the seasonal flu. Quick cures for viruses just don't exist.

I hope the rain stops tomorrow. I'm tired of shepherding balky pumps and nervously looking for leaks. The "service required" light came on in my car again. I'm tired of that too. Give me a break. I'm not even driving the car these days.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3795

The lights are flickering and a big storm is headed our way. I hope the power doesn't go out before I can finish this post. It has certainly happened before. It's giant pain to have to start over using battery power, a laptop, and an alternate Internet source. At time like these I wish I could write faster, but I'm pretty slow.

Other than the bad weather, it has been a pretty good day. We had a nice walk with Dawn this morning before the weather turned bad.  My Friday morning omelette was tasty. It wasn't a busy day, but it wasn't a bad day either.

I'm gradually becoming more familiar with online banking, but I think I still prefer writing checks and going to the post office. Somehow checking a few boxes on a website doesn't seem real. I keep checking the website every few days to make sure the transaction has actually gone through. I don't know why I trust the post office so much. The post office has lost my mail several times. So far, the bank's website has worked perfectly.

I'm going to have to get used to doing as much as I can online. New regulations have made doing almost anything in person a totally frustrating experience. Texas is technically open again but you'd never know it if you have to go shopping. With each passing week going to the grocery store becomes more complicated. The new trend is to put lots of arrows on the floor and establish a one way traffic pattern throughout the store. This is not the way most people shop. If you are going to have one way aisles, you definitely need a few passing lanes. It is almost inevitable that you will end up stuck behind someone who can't decide what they want to put in their buggy and they just stand there blocking everyone behind them. Some stores have even blocked entrances, leaving only a single door to enter and exit the store. Not only is this a potential fire hazard, it also creates even more traffic jams. Keep in  mind that I didn't even go shopping today. I'm just remembering this madness from last week. I have a feeling that things will be even worse when I make my weekly shopping run tomorrow.

A Florida friend told me that I might have better luck obtaining access to Kennedy Space Center through the military than with NASA. I didn't even know that this was an option. I found out how to contact media relations for the Air Force and I think I'm going to apply. The forms I need to fill out are lengthy and a magazine needs to sponsor me but what have I got to lose. Evidently this is how some photographers are still managing to get launch access. It's easy to forget that Cape Canaveral is still an active military base.

The virtual NASA Social event for the upcoming Crew Dragon launch is actually more interesting than I'd thought it would be. I find myself posting to the group frequently. Admittedly this is mostly because there isn't much else to do these days. Hey, if I'm going to do something online, I think I'd rather talk about rockets than complain about masks.

I continue to be amazed that Dawn seems to have no fear of storms. All our other Dalmatians had pretty severe storm phobias. This evening while the lights were flickering and thunder was rumbling, Dawn was just calmly lying on the bed as if nothing was happening.

I may get gas tomorrow when I make my weekly shopping run. It's been well over a month since I filled my tank. The new normal isn't normal at all.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3794

When a solitary person like myself starts getting cabin fever, things must be getting bad. I guess I spend more time shopping and going to restaurants than I realized because I'm really getting the urge to buy something I don't need. I look forward to our long walks with Dawn every morning, but my reaction when we return home is usually "Now what?"

It's a shame I won't be able to go to Kennedy Space Center for the Crew Dragon launch. This would be the time when I would be making reservations and actively planning for the trip. I've got some new lenses I'd like to try at the launch. There was a magazine interested in having me do a story. Watching the launch on NASA TV just isn't going to be the same.

It's probably going to rain tomorrow since I went up on the roof this afternoon and cleared away the remaining water from the last rain. One of the pumps doesn't seem to be working well anymore. I don't know what to do other than buy a new pump. I've burned through quite a few pumps over the years. The first pumps were made of metal and were tough as nails. I had one that lasted for over fifteen years. The quality seems to gradually deteriorate on each new generation of pumps. I'm sure these new ones are made in China.

Many stores are open again in Dallas. Janet got some new running shoes today. She asked whether I wanted to come along but I was having a bad allergy day and didn't want to sneeze in the store. I do need new shoes though. Shoes don't last that long when you are walking 20,000 steps a day.

How long can the coronavirus continue to be the only topic of conversation nationwide? I think people are already starting to experience disease fatigue. The longer society is disrupted, the more people will start demanding a return to normal. Clearly a plague isn't normal, but neither is locking down an entire country. This can't be sustained indefinitely. I may be wrong, but I predict that if a cure isn't developed in a reasonable amount of time, we will simply stop talking about the dead. As a society we have a remarkable ability to sweep almost anything under the rug.

It's a shame that a health crisis is being politicized, but eventually everything is politicized in this country. The election in November is going to be all about the virus. Pick a side. If you think there is nothing more important than human life, you may change your mind if you are dead broke and without a job in November. If you think it is absolutely essential for society to return to normal, you may change your mind if a loved one becomes sick.

Almost every day I see well known local restaurants announce that they are shutting their doors for good. It's sad to see how unfair the lockdown had been. Home Depot and Lowes have never done better. Their business is thriving. Local businesses a block aways from these stores are dead. They will never return. Who decided which businesses would get to stay open? Clearly safety wasn't the primary factor. Every time I've been to Home Depot lately, the store has been packed. Stores that were designated as "essential" are actually doing more business now than they were before the pandemic. This just seems all wrong to me. I don't like seeing politicians picking winners and losers.

I've taken the week's trash to the curb and there is no more fresh fruit in the refrigerator. This always marks the end of the week for me. Tomorrow I will make myself an omelette and watch politicians argue with each other on TV while I drink my morning coffee. We'll take Dawn on a nice long walk and then I'll wish I had another computer to fix. It's going to be a long, long summer.

Lady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3793

My annual physical went well. I'm definitely getting older, but it appears that I'm just as healthy as I was last year. The only mildly alarming thing is that my doctor wants me to see a dermatologist. He thinks that some small scaly spots on my face that I always thought were keratosis might be squamous cell carcinoma instead. I hate having something removed that is so close to my eye, but I've learned not to ignore things like this. I'll see the dermatologist next week.

I enjoy talking with my doctor. In addition to being an excellent physician, he is also a history buff and loves talking about Texas history. He comes from a long line of Texas doctors that can trace their roots all the way back to the Republic of Texas. We talked about the Davis Mountains for a while and then I asked him about the coronavirus. He wasn't very confident that the pandemic would end soon. He said we were dreaming if we thought there would be a vaccine before the end of the year. "Just look at history," he told me. "It took decades to develop a safe polio vaccine. We failed to develop any sort of vaccine for SARS or other types of coronaviruses. Even the common flu vaccine we all take every year isn't always effective. You have to remember that a vaccine just helps speed up the development of herd immunity within a population. No pandemic since the Black Plague has been eradicated until herd immunity has been established and often that takes years."

This wasn't very encouraging. I told the doctor I was feeling fine but wondered why he was wearing a cast on his arm. He told me he was a Covid Casualty. When his gym closed, he started riding a bicycle for exercise. At some point, he lost control of the bike, flew over the handlebars, and broke both his arms. I never realized this guy was a badass. He fell in a remote area and somehow managed to reattach the chain to his bicycle with two broken arms and ride four miles back to town.

The nurse who did my EKG said that the past month at the clinic has been very weird. "We've been open the entire time," she told me, "but everyone canceled their appointments because they were scared of leaving the house." She said that there were many days when the entire staff just sat around with nothing to do. The phlebotomist who did my blood work said that even now some patients freak out if you even touch them. It's pretty hard to draw blood without touching someone.

I did have a mild fever last night after receiving the Shingles vaccine, but my temperature returned to normal this morning. Some people have a terrible reaction to these shots, but I've been pretty lucky. I felt a little tired today, but that might just be because it was hot and humid. At least I can cross this off my list. Hopefully I won't hear any bad news from the dermatologist.

There's going to be an all day virtual NASA Social for the Crew Dragon launch on the 27th of this month. It's definitely not the same as being there, but this was a good idea. I applied and quickly got accepted. I was pleased to see that many friends I'd met at previous NASA Socials were already there. I enjoy being part of the space/astronomy community. You can talk for hours with these people without ever mentioning politics or the coronavirus.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3792

I got my second of two Shingles shots today. I was a little late, but still well within the recommended time period. I was initially going to postpone this injection until things returned to normal, but now it appears that normal is out the window. My pharmacist gave me the usual warning about side effects. "I didn't have any side effects with the first vaccination," I said. "Well, you might this time," the pharmacist told me. So, what are the most common side effects you might experience after getting a Shingles shot? Fever and flu-like symptoms. Great. That's exactly what I need at this moment in time.

I mainly got the shot today because I have my annual physical exam tomorrow and the injection costs twice as much at a doctor's office. Why? Bureaucratic nonsense. The Shingles vaccine is classified as a prescription drug and most healthcare providers haven't set up billing systems to file claims through prescription drug plans. So if you end up getting vaccinated at your doctor's office, you are required to pay the full retail cost of the vaccine. Why isn't the Shingles vaccine classified as a necessary preventive service under Medicare Part B like flu and pneumonia vaccines? Your guess is as good as mine. Oh, well. The deed is done. Hopefully, my doctor won't turn me away if I have a fever tomorrow morning.

When the doctor's office called to remind me of my appointment tomorrow, they went over their new post-pandemic procedures. They weren't as bad as I expected. No doctors wearing spacesuits or anything drastic. I'll need to wear a mask and they take your temperature at the front door before you enter. That's it. No valet parking anymore either.

We got caught in the rain again while we were walking Dawn this morning. Timing these Spring storms is tricky. After looking at the weather radar, we thought we'd have plenty of time to take a shorter walk. Wrong. We got wet, but luckily we weren't that far from a picnic shelter when the rain started. We waited for about fifteen minutes for the storm to pass while we were inside the shelter and then continued our walk. I'm so glad that Dawn isn't afraid of storms. Thunder and lightning doesn't seem to bother her at all.

Since I've been successful with my first two computer upgrades, I asked Janet if she wanted me to fix her computer as well. She's been telling me that she can't go to several websites she needs. It turned out that she just had an ancient browser installed. The system was pretty old too, but I left that alone. The system seemed to be working fine. My rule of thumb is if it's not broke, don't fix it unless you are really, really bored. After installing a modern browser, everything seems to work fine.

I have to fast tomorrow since the doctor will be doing new bloodwork. With an early morning appointment I won't be able to enjoy my morning smoothie. Janet will probably have to walk Dawn while I'm gone. It's weird that even tiny changes in my personal schedule bother me. Most of the huge sweeping changes imposed by the pandemic I don't even notice. For the most part, my life in the slow lane is just the same.

Dixie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3791

It was nice to get back to visiting the rescue Dalmatians. There was only a skeleton crew at the kennel and very few boarding dogs, but our dogs have been well cared for during the pandemic. We photographed Cinder, a new girl who entered the program recently, and played ball with Hank and Charlie. The dogs were glad to see us. It's been very quiet at the kennel lately.

We started our day with another long walk before breakfast. I wish this Spring weather would last a little longer. It's been absolutely beautiful lately. We didn't encounter many people this morning. Maybe it was just early, but I have a feeling that a lot of people were returning to work this morning. Something was happening, because traffic was certainly heavier.

Even though I made the switch to online banking recently, I still have to go to the post office occasionally. I mailed a letter to my luddite sister who refuses to use the Internet and then returned home. If all I do is get groceries on Saturday and make an occasional trip to the post office, I may never have to fill my tank again.

My task for the day was getting Microsoft Office running again on my laptop. I finally found a technical support department at Microsoft that specialized in Macintosh problems. I gave them a call this afternoon and explained what happened when I backed up my computer to a new hard drive using Time Machine. The guy I talked to sounded like he'd heard this problem many times before. He asked if I would consent to letting him operate my computer remotely. Sure. Why not. For the next fifteen minutes I watched as an unseen hand moved things around on my screen. When he was finished, Microsoft Office was activated again and everything worked perfectly. The tech support guy was very nice and didn't even ask me why I was using a ten year old product.

It was kind of amazing to me that all this could be done remotely. From the sound of the guy's voice, it didn't even seem like he was located in the United States. Back in the day, you would have had to have someone come out to your location to make these type of repairs. It actually took me longer to find the special phone number than it took the tech guy to get my software working again. I wish Apple did this sort of thing. Having someone take control of my computer and diagnose the problem remotely is so much easier than making an appointment to visit the Genius Bar at an Apple Store and lugging your computer down to a shopping mall. I've never been a huge fan of Microsoft, but my respect for them went up a few notches today.

Now that I have two super fast computers, I don't know what kind of project to tackle next. Even though it was stressful at times, I kind of enjoyed upgrading the computers. Too bad I don't feel the same way about the office where the computers reside. Truthfully, the office needs an upgrade much more than the computers did.

I got a notice from my gym and the place that cuts my hair that even though Texas is opening, they were going to wait a while longer before they opened for business themselves. Seems reasonable to me. I wouldn't want to be the first to open when nobody seems to understand how this virus works yet. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very long Summer, especially if you like to go to concerts and sporting events. Since all I really want to do is go back to a lonely mountain and look through large telescopes, I think I'll be fine.

Dodger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3790 - Mother's Day

My Mom's been gone for so long that I can't even remember what we used to do on Mother's Day. I'd like to think we did something special, but maybe we didn't. I still have a few childhood Christmas memories along with a fuzzy recollection of Sunrise Services at Easter, but I'm drawing a blank on Mother's Day. No memories of Father's Day either.

I thought the park would be really crowded since it was a holiday, but there were fewer people than I thought. It was a nice cool day and we had another pleasant walk with Dawn before breakfast. Dawn seems to like this new routine. Of course she'd already eaten her own breakfast before we left the house. People can postpone their breakfast. Dogs want to eat as soon as they wake up.

The new battery for my laptop arrived this morning. I was surprised that FedEx delivers on Sunday now. I wasn't expecting the battery until tomorrow. I was glad to see the package at the door. It gave me something to do today. There are always surprises with computer upgrades. I ordered the correct battery but for some reason it wouldn't fix in the enclosure. It seemed to be exactly the same size as the dead battery I was replacing, but there must have been a tiny difference. I thought about sending the battery back, but decided to file off one of the edges instead. It looked like if I rounded one of the corners just a bit, the battery should fit. I found a special file in my old watch repair toolkit and carefully shaved away some of the plastic case. After I rounded one of the corners, the battery fit perfectly. I still can't figure out why the battery didn't fit right out of the box. It looks identical to the OEM battery.

After I reattached all the loose cables and put the computer back together, I nervously pressed the power button. The computer started and booted up normally. I wasn't done though. I had to calibrate the power management system. This involved charging the battery and then discharging it completely, waiting five hours, and then recharging the battery again. I'm still not done with that process.

One of the downsides to this whole upgrade process is that my Microsoft Office 2011 no longer works. It is no longer supported by Microsoft either. Buried in the license agreement is a short paragraph that says you can't move the software to a different machine without voiding your license. Why? This makes no sense, since computers crash all the time. I'm sure I'm not the first person who installed a new hard drive in their computer. I guess a new hard drive counts as a new computer to Microsoft. They were no help at all when I called them this afternoon. They just want me to subscribe to Office 365.

I think we're going to start visiting the rescue dogs again. We haven't been to the kennel since the pandemic started. There is a new dog that needs to be photographed for the website and we miss seeing the Dalmatians. The place should be safe enough. It's mostly just dogs.

I have my annual physical exam later this week. Looks like my doctor is seeing regular patients again, since I got a reminder about the appointment today. I've got all sorts of questions for the doc. What do you think about hydroxychloroquine? How about vitamin D? What is an ideal pulse oximeter reading? He'll probably just ask me about my trip to the Davis Mountains. We both love West Texas.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3789

Saturday is my day to observe the rest of the world. It's the only day I get in the car and go anywhere. Some things I see astonish me, but I'm not going to be judgmental. The post-pandemic world is complex, and humans don't deal with complexity well. We crave a simple answer. I think most of us have a reason for what we are doing, even if it ultimately proves to be wrong. So far, there are very few answers about the virus, so there is a natural tendency to interpret anything we hear as evidence that our existing beliefs and theories are correct. This is called confirmation bias.

I see no point in telling you what to do, but I do notice things. Traffic is already back to pre-pandemic levels. I'm having trouble getting out of my driveway again. I wonder where everyone is going? I see little shops in the neighborhood with signs in the window saying that they are open, but I don't see any customers. People are still afraid. I don't think everyone is afraid of the same thing. Some people wear masks at the grocery store because they are afraid of getting sick. Others wear them because they are afraid of being shamed. I'm becoming afraid of people who feel compelled to go around saying "I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for you."

We walked Dawn very early this morning because we knew the park was going to be crowded. It was  a beautiful Spring weekend and the park is always crowded on beautiful Spring weekends. At sunrise the only people out are the most dedicated runners and cyclists. We had a pleasant walk before breakfast. When I went out later in the day, the park was a zoo. It was still easy to keep your distance, but people were playing volleyball, the ice cream truck was making its rounds, the kayak rental store had resumed business, and there were hammocks tied to every available tree. Most of these activities didn't really bother me. The small group throwing axes did make me a little nervous though.

Kids have been hanging out in the park since the pandemic started. They just hang out with their friends and never seems to mix with other groups of kids. Maybe if you are a certain age, these small groups of friends are considered a family unit. At any rate, these kids have been hanging out together for several months now. I see some of the same ones almost every day. If what they were doing was that risky, they would all be dead by now.

I believe the experts who say that it's important to keep your distance. Most of the virus deaths have been in extremely high density areas. People work right next to each other in meat packing plants. Few people own a car in New York City. They all travel by subway. It's no surprise at all that cruise ships quickly became infection factories. Wearing a mask isn't a long-term solution. Moving to the country might be.

I know changing behavior is hard, but it's actually pretty easy to keep your distance. I've been doing it for years. I think the solution to the coronavirus problem and future pandemics that might be even worse is obvious. We've got to reduce population density. Why are we still living in cities?  Cities are obsolete. We spend so much time and money trying to make cities work when they have never really worked. Maybe it's time to embrace technology and spread out to the vast empty areas of this country. There's plenty of room.

Janet and I were saying today that we both feel healthier at 70 than we did at 60. Maybe if this virus causes more people to become conscious of their own health and make some necessary lifestyle choices, it will ultimately be a good thing. I applaud the people I see out running early in the morning. You guys who are still sitting at home watching Netflix, you've got work to do.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3788

Fake news isn't limited to politics. If you try to fix a computer using online tips and suggestions, you will encounter an almost unlimited amount of nonsense. It's frustrating to wade through inept YouTube videos, argumentative user forums, and out-of-date manufacturer tutorials, but you can still learn a lot. That's how I spent my morning. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong in yesterday's botched computer upgrade. I eventually learned enough to ask some intelligent question when I was able to connect with a tech support person later in the day. A sane person would probably realize that this computer is too old and give up, but I am determined to fix it.

We got a lot of rain overnight, but the skies were already starting to clear up when we got up this morning. As soon as the rain quit, we took Dawn on her morning walk. We took a different path today and saw some parts of the park we rarely visit. Dawn loved the cool, overcast weather. It was windy though and I should have worn a light jacket. It's almost impossible to know what to wear at this time of year. You can be cold one minute and then hot five minutes later. No complaints however. 60 degree days are so much better than 100 degree days.

Our Pulse Oximeter arrived in the mail today. Janet and I both have excellent blood oxygen levels. We'll add this little gadget to the infrared forehead thermometer and growing stack of masks on a shelf in the entry hallway. I was curious how pulse oximetry works. The device clamps on your finger  and sends two beams of light through your skin, measuring the level of oxygen saturation in your blood. By comparing the ratio of the red light to infrared light that is absorbed by the blood, a little computer in the oximeter can quickly determine your current blood oxygen levels. For an inexpensive little device, it is all very complex and surprisingly accurate. I have an oxygen saturation level of 97%. Not bad.

I wonder what I'll be measuring next month. People have become obsessed with their health lately.  Some of this is a good thing, but there is a lot of paranoia as well. Nobody wants something invisible in the air to kill them. When I see people driving around alone in a car wearing a mask and gloves I thing we may have gone too far. I'll give these people the benefit of the doubt however. Maybe they are headed toward a crowded destination and just wanted to get ready ahead of time. The masks I see in the park still baffle me. Usually these people are walking alone and are nowhere near another person. This is what fear will do to you. I continue to believe that fresh air is good. I'm not going to ride in a crowded elevatory with you any time soon though.

Tomorrow it's time to go to the store again. I don't really enjoy these excursions, but they don't take long. Grocery shopping is the only time I feel like I'm living in a science fiction movie. I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing a store full of people walking around wearing masks. I ordered a new battery this evening, along with a few more installation tools for my laptop. I don't know if this will solve my problems, but I hope so. The computer still runs on AC power with the battery removed, so at least I haven't ruined the logic board. I'd like to say tomorrow is a new day, but it's still groundhog day at our house.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3787

Oops. My second computer upgrade didn't go as smoothly as the first. I had to remove the battery to exchange the hard drive in my laptop with a new solid state drive that arrived this morning. When I reassembled everything and put the computer back together, the battery appeared to be dead. The computer wouldn't start at all. I plugged it into an AC power source and got a message saying "replace battery now." WTF? I know the battery is good. After doing some research on Apple forums, I discovered that the battery management system needs to be recalibrated whenever a new battery is installed. I didn't install a new battery, but I did unplug it, so the computer probably thought the battery was new when I plugged the cable into the logic board again. The calibration process seems way more complex than it should be and for all I know, the battery might be bad anyway. What a pain. I wish they had mentioned this little wrinkle when I watched the installation video yesterday.

I thought I might actually have a new website job today, but it wasn't meant to be. A friend of mine recently bought a company which included an existing website and he needed to modify it to reflect new ownership. I gave the guy a call to see if I could help, but didn't have the heart to charge him for something I knew he could do himself. I guided him through the process of transferring domains and making simple website edits over the phone and in less than an hour the problem had been solved. Maybe I have mellowed with age, but I hate it when people try to make something easy appear difficult. This type of thing happens all the time with everything from appliance repairs to high priced consultants. Life is too short to inflate your own worth. I'm lazy. If something is easy, I'll tell you in hopes that you'll leave me alone and do the job yourself. I always hope that others will treat me the same way.

We went back to walking Dawn before breakfast this morning. I like these early morning walks but I'm not as hungry as I usually am when we return. I thought I would have a bigger appetite after a long walk, but it doesn't seem to be the case. I'm going to have to figure out how to make a smaller smoothie without changing the taste. It took me a long time to get exactly the right mix of ingredients. It's weird that I'm actually thinking about this. I guess it shows that I'm adverse to changes of any kind. The early walks will probably get even earlier in the months ahead. It's the only way we can give Dawn the exercise she needs without overheating her. The heat isn't kind to Janet and I either. We're still having beautiful Spring weather, but around mid-afternoon I can tell that Summer is on the way.

I just heard thunder off in the distance. I looked at the weather radar and a line of storms are headed our way. We've certainly had a lot of rain this Spring. Every time I manage to get the roof dried out, it rains again. You'd think that with all this rain we'd have lots of lush grass in the back yard. Nope. There are still huge bare spots. I hate to re-sod the yard before the tree guy comes to remove the damaged Oak tree. On the other hand, I hate to call the tree guy because I know he'll knock what remains of the greenhouse over and probably break my new security light as well. It's all a complicated mess. It's easier to do nothing, but that's not a good solution either. Every time I hear thunder I worry that the tree may fall on its own.

It's hard to believe the week is almost over again. The trash has been taken out to the curb and I'm getting ready for another day of pandemic induced boredom. Hopefully, I won't break any more computers. I need to learn to leave things alone.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3786

The big event of the day was watching the Blue Angels do their flyover of Dallas. We walked Dawn a little later this morning, so we would be in a good position to see the planes around 11 AM. It was all over pretty quickly. We did see the Blue Angles, but they weren't very close. If you were downtown you probably got a good view, but our vantage point in the park was a little too far away. I've seen Southwest Airlines planes on final approach that were more exciting. Oh, well. It was a nice day and it was still something to do.

Dawn seemed tired on her walk because it was a lot warmer at 11 AM. We're going to have to continue walking very early. Like all of our Dalmatians, Dawn really doesn't like the heat. She will drink water from a bottle though, which is something that Dot and Dash never learned to do. We'll go back to walking early again tomorrow morning. It just seems to work better.

I discovered recently that one of the astronomers I met at McDonald Observatory has an amazing Instagram account. I guess I knew he was into astrophotography, but I never realized his images were so amazingly beautiful. I wrote the guy to complement him on his photography skills and also mentioned that my article about observing with him at one of the large telescopes was going to be published in Sky and Telescope. We made plans to get together again at the observatory when life returns to normal. Lord knows when that will be though. He didn't think that the observatory would reopen to the public until later in the Fall at the earliest.

I'm disappointed that the response to the pandemic has become almost completely political. That didn't take long. Each side has staked out their positions and both seem to have valid points. Unfortunately, there seems little room for compromise. The longer this drags out, the more entrenched each side becomes. It seems almost impossible to find out what is really going on. There are powerful forces at work here. I don't care what you believe. You are being manipulated. We should be united like our parents and grandparents were during World War II. It's not happening though. When this is over, we will be more divided than we were before.

I grew up during the cold war. Our adversary was the Russians and our anger as a country was directed outward. Almost everything we did, including landing on the moon in 1969, was focused on beating, humiliating, or bankrupting the Russians. Without the cold war, we probably wouldn't have even gone to the moon.

Perhaps it was for the best that we directed our anger outwards in those days. We are an angry people. We always have been. Today we have directed this anger inward and it is destroying a great country. We are literally cannibalizing everything our parents worked so hard to create. The Russians and especially the Chinese must be laughing at us now. If our self-destructive behavior continues, they will achieve the world domination they want without having to lift a finger. If you like conspiracy theories, it is pretty plausible to believe that the Chinese unleashed this virus on purpose, knowing full well what would happen next.

I'm still waiting on a FedEx package. I don't think it is going to come today. In the grand scheme of things this isn't a big deal. Waiting for the package will give me something to do tomorrow.

Patches is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3785

My article about McDonald Observatory is going to be published in an upcoming issue of Sky and Telescope. I received an acceptance letter from the editors this afternoon. Needless to say, this is great news. Sky and Telescope is a well respected magazine that I have been reading off and on since high school. I was so disappointed yesterday when I failed to obtain media accreditation for the upcoming Space X Crew Dragon launch at Kennedy Space Center. Now, I feel somewhat vindicated. My writing efforts aren't back to square one after all. I also got a letter from my editor at SpaceFlight Magazine saying that they were sad that I wouldn't be able to attend the Demo-2 launch. What can you do? The magazine tried their best to get me access to the launch and I tried as well. Sadly, the virus wins this one. I guess I won't be writing about America's return to manned spaceflight after all.

I'm not sure yet when my article will appear in Sky and Telescope, but I did learn that they are interested in using my photos as well. I'll send them a selection to choose from later this week. This magazine, like many others, plans their publication schedule months in advance. The editor said they are still trying to determine an appropriate slot for my article to appear. I hope I don't have to wait too long. Like most of you, I could use some good news in the months ahead.

Dawn had to go to the vet today to recheck the urate crystals that were found in her urine at her last exam. She's been taking Allopurinol for a month and we were hoping that this would eliminate the crystals and reduce her chances of getting bladder or kidney stones. Sadly, she still has crystals and has a low grade bacterial infection as well. The vet did a culture and we should know more early next week. I hope we don't need to change Dawn's diet. She really likes the food we are feeding her now.

Dawn is getting better at riding in the car. She is still nervous, but she doesn't appear terrified anymore. She was very well behaved at the vet, although we didn't get to go with her in the exam room this time. The virus changes everything. Everyone, including Janet and I, were wearing masks and a vet tech took Dawn back to a room for her exam while we waited for her in the lobby. The vet did come out to visit with us when she was done and we all kept our distance. It's weird. I know all these people well, but I had trouble recognizing some of them while they were wearing masks. These are very surreal times. I wonder how long we can continue like this before everyone cracks?

We are continuing to take our walk with Dawn before breakfast. This works out well, although it kind of turns my morning smoothie into lunch. It's nice walking early in the morning. The weather is cool and the park is almost empty. Dawn seems to really enjoy the walks as well. She's not a young dog, but has no problems walking five miles. I don't know what we are going to do later in the summer though. Dawn really doesn't like the heat.

I tried online banking today. Actually, I think it's easier to just go to the post office and bank. Hey, I'm trying to adapt to this strange no contact reality, even though it totally sucks. Even a loner like me needs to get out occasionally. I can't wait to get back to Kennedy Space Center.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3784

I'm disappointed. My application for media accreditation to cover the Space X Demo-2 launch was denied. NASA was telling the truth when they said that media access to this launch would be severely limited. I know people who always seem able to get a press pass who got rejected as well. NASA did send me a nice letter explaining their guidelines for narrowing down their list of applicants, but it didn't help me much. Credentials were issued based on the number of people that NASA thought they could safely shelter in place at the press site in case of an emergency. Major media organizations that lease their own building at Kennedy Space Center got preference because they could shelter in place at their own buildings. I'm sure the small group of reporters who seems to have covered every launch since the 1970's received preferential treatment as well. It will be a very small group of people at this historic launch though. The press site building is small and isn't going to hold many people when they are spaced six feet apart. Oh, well. That's how it goes these days. I'll try again when the Mars 2020 lander launches later this Summer.

So many things completely baffle me about the new normal. Road construction crews had two months to fix the roads here in Dallas while nobody was driving. It would have been the perfect time to fill potholes and get caught up on things. Nope. Road construction ground to a halt last month. Now that our governor has declared the state reopened again, the construction crews are back, blocking traffic and making a mess of things as usual.

I couldn't get the deposit feature to work when I was setting up online banking yesterday, so I had to drive to the bank and wait in the drive-thru line again. Usually there is a little canister that you put your deposits in and then it gets pneumatically sucked thru a tube to the bank. The little canister was gone today. I guess the bank tellers didn't want to touch it. We were told to place our deposits directly in the tube. I wonder how many little pieces of paper got lost today?

We took our walk with Dawn before breakfast again this morning. The place was virtually empty. Either a lot of people have gone back to work, or old habits die hard. The parks are usually crowded during the weekend, but what's the difference between Sunday and Monday these days? Not much, as far as I can tell. At least it was nice to have the park to ourselves again. The pandemic may have taught people to wash their hands but it certainly hasn't stopped people from littering. There was a ton of trash in the park this morning, left behind by Sunday picnickers. Dawn snatched a half eaten hot dog off the ground and I had to get it out of her mouth before she swallowed it. It's not that I worry about hot dogs so much. It's just that there are too many people who intentionally leave poisoned food, or food with razor blades inside for animals to find. You can't trust anything these days.

I ordered the parts I need to upgrade my laptop this afternoon. Do I really need a super fast laptop if I can't go anywhere? Probably not. It's something to do though. At this point anything seems better than cleaning the office.

Crosby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3783

I've decided it's time to face an emerging new reality. My comfortable analog world is gone. When virus fears eventually fade, a lot of things familiar to me aren't coming back. There are a businesses and restaurants I'll never visit again. They aren't going to survive. Rather than lament the loss of familiar places and routines, maybe it's time to embrace the cloud and go digital. Do I really need to go to the post office and bank anymore? Not really. I set up all my recurring bills for online payment today. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. It's easy, relatively painless, and will save me a lot of time.

I don't need to go to CVS, Home Depot, or shopping malls either. Anything you can buy in a store, you can get delivered to your door. Why go to Home Depot to look for lightbulbs, only to discover that they are out of stock again? Things are almost always in stock at the online store and are usually delivered in just a day or two. Stores have been practically begging me to buy online for several years now. I just didn't realize how easy it was.

It's time to take a look at my investments as well. The economy is going to take a terrible hit, but there will be winners. Who is going to thrive in an increasingly digital economy? Some companies already seem well prepared for a world where work takes place in the cloud and almost anything can be delivered to your door. Everyone keeps asking when the world is going to return to normal. I don't think it ever will. We do a lot of things out of habit, and each of us is slowly but surely developing brand new habits. Which of our quarantine routines are going to stick? If you guess correctly, you will do very well in the years ahead.

We walked very early this morning. I thought about getting a picture of Dawn with the dawn of a new day in the background. The sunrise wasn't all that pretty though, so I'll save that picture for another day. It was enjoyable having the park to ourselves. The weather was beautiful and we only saw a few dedicated runners and cyclists. The weekend crowds were still waking up. We didn't see any teenagers or families with children this morning.

I did some more roof repairs this afternoon. I tried to lift the heavy bucket of silicon to the roof, but my rope broke and I had to transfer the messy material to a smaller bucket again. Luckily the rope broke when the heavy bucket was less than a foot off the ground, so nothing spilled. It would have been a giant mess if the bucket of silicon spilled and covered the yard. After today's repairs, I can't find any more bad areas. We'll wait until the next rain, and then the whole process begins all over again. Eventually I'll become confident enough to begin sheetrock repairs inside.

This weekend was pleasant and it certainly went quickly. Lets see what happens next week. I'm hoping for additional news from Sky and Telescope and NASA. It would be nice to have a plan again. Until then, I'll probably move ahead and upgrade the laptop computers with solid state drives. I'll order the parts I need tomorrow. Embracing online banking was a big deal for me. I didn't think I'd ever do this. Maybe there are more things I can improve as well. In troubling times it is important to keep moving.

Milo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3782

I finally heard from Sky and Telescope. Their message was similar to many business messages these days. Basically it said: "Sorry for the delay. We're all working from home and everything is screwed up." I still don't know if my McDonald Observatory article will be published, but I feel better knowing that I'm back in touch with these guys. You don't want to fall into a black hole when you are dealing with an astronomy magazine.

Today was my day to get supplies for the week. I was curious to see if anything had changed since Texas is officially now in the first stage of reopening. There was a lot more traffic on the roads, but I'm not sure where everyone was going. With the exception of Lowes, Home Depot and the grocery stores, most places are still closed.

Every week there is a new item in short supply. When I went to Sam's Club this morning, people were filling their buggies with meat. Now that there are stories of the meat processing supply chain being disrupted, fresh meat has become the new toilet paper. Ironically, the store had a ton of toilet paper. There was a huge display featuring all the popular brands along with a small sign that essentially said: "As you can see we've got plenty, but due to a silly city regulation we are only allowed to sell you one package of this stuff."

There are plenty of silly regulations. They seem to change daily. They city's park system seems to be back to normal. All the blockades have been removed, the police are no longer monitoring group sizes, and people have returned to enjoy the Spring weather. We tried to get an early start on our walk with Dawn this morning, but we should have started even earlier. There were a lot of people in the park today. I guess it shouldn't have been surprising. The weather has been really nice this week.

I have no worries about being outside in the fresh air, but apparently some people do. We see quite a few masks in the park, even though nobody is close to each other. The only folks who ignore the social distancing rules are teenagers. They've been hanging out with their friends since the very beginning of this mess. If we all die, I'm going to blame it on the teenagers.

I've completed an entire week of 20,000 step days. My best day this week was over 23,000 steps. I may have gone too far though. For the first time in a long time, my knee hurts. I had a knee injury back in college and ever since, my right knee has been a bit shaky. I had an operation called Slocum's Procedure that was popular at the time but has since fallen out of favor. ACL injuries are common in both people and dogs, but I think dogs often have better outcomes. My knee has been unstable ever since the surgery. I definitely don't want a second surgery though. I've learned to compensate.

We've been eating well during the pandemic. Janet is a really good cook. Dawn has been getting a lot of attention as well. She's going to be disappointed if life ever returns to normal. I think we're going to take our walk around sunrise tomorrow morning. The park is much more enjoyable when it's empty.

Bogart is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day