Day 4065

Janet and I got our first Covid shots today. After waiting a year, the whole experience was kind of anticlimactic. I was in and out in less than twenty minutes and that included the fifteen minute wait after the shot in case there was an adverse reaction. If you've got a choice, get vaccinated in a hostital instead of one of those huge community mega-sites. I'd heard horror stories about people waiting in their cars for hours at some of the Dallas mega-sites. Everything was so efficient at the hospital. There were no lines. There was plenty of parking near the facility. All our information was already in the computer when we arrived. The shot itself was quick and painless. There was even a guy playing the piano in the area where we waited to see if we were going to have an adverse reastion. I'm not easily impressed, but these guys were very impressive.

In three weeks we get our second dose of the vaccine and hopefully we'll be looking at Covid in the rear view mirror. It's been a long year and I'm ready to move on. There are rocket launches to see and observatories to visit. If Dawn wasn't terrified of riding in the car, we'd even consider taking her on a long car trip. Maybe it's a little early, but I've had no reaction to the vaccine so far. My arm isn't sore at all. Knock on wood. Usually shots don't bother me and I've been vaccinated for almost everything.

It was really cold today. Dawn had to wear her coat when we walked this afternoon and I wore two coats just to make sure I wouldn't get cold. Dawn was eager to return to the house after she finished her mile, but I continued walking as usual. My foot pain wasn't as bad today. I don't know whether my foot was better or if it was just too cold to feel the pain. I'm definitely familiar with cold weather. I just don't like it. I went to high school in Alaska. I lived in Aspen for a while. And one of my first jobs was in Idaho. I don't know why it took me so long to discover Texas. Texas was where I should have been all along.

It's supposed to start raining tonight and temperatures will be near freezing in the morning. This sounds like a recipe for sleet or freezing rain. Yuk. I'm glad I got the vaccine out of the way and have nowhere to go tomorrow. Tomorrow sound like a good day to curl up with your dog, except that Dawn doesn't like to curl up with me.  If I lie down next to her on the bed, she usually gets up and goes to the kitchen. I keep telling Dawn that she's running out of time to be friends with me. Janet is eager to travel again and sooner or later Dawn and I are going to be spending some quality time together. 

I'm a little disappointed that Sky & Telescope rejected my idea for an astrophotography article. It was the only idea I had. I guess the proposal didn't really get rejected. My editor said he'd put it in his "maybe" folder for next year. This wasn't good news for a person who's always looking for instant gratification though. I guess I'm going to have to wait until I can get out to an observatory again to come up with any more astronomy articles. There's nothing to see here in Dallas. I don't even like to go out after dark in Dallas these days. The city doesn't feel safe anymore.

I've discovered that I sleep better under a heavy blanket. I wonder why? It seems counterintuitive to me, but my Fitbit always says that I sleep better on very cold nights. I ought to sleep well tonight. It's definitely starting to feel like winter. Northerners probably think we're wimps here in Texas, but this weather doesn't feel natural. At least the furnace is running normally and both our cars are in good shape. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Maybe there'll be another new episode of The Expanse to watch.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4064

We spent some extra time with Clyde at the kennel today. He's still very shy but he is making progress. Since he has already bonded with one of the kennel attendants, I think he's going to be OK. Charlie and Cooper have no problem with shyness. They both love to play and are very motivated by food. Cooper likes to chase a ball and Charlie prefers his octopus toy. Both dogs got a good workout today and were ready to go back to their kennel runs for a long nap by the time we left.

Even though Dawn prefers Janet, there are certain things she expects me to do. I always feed her dinner and I usually hold the leash when we take our walks. Today I was having trouble with my foot and wanted Janet to hold the leash while we went down a steep hill. Dawn wasn't having any part of this. She let us know that she wanted things the way they usually are. As soon as Janet returned the leash to me, Dawn immediately resumed walking normally. 

I don't know what is wrong with my foot. It feels almost as bad as it used to be before I started wearing the special supportive running shoes. I still walked another five miles after Janet and Dawn returned to the house, but the last mile was a struggle. I may have to put a temporary hold on these long walks while I give my foot a chance to rest for a while. Things could be a lot worse, but I hate to give up walking, even temporarily. This is the one thing that gives some structure to my day.

My editor at Sky & Telescope told me that he is looking for more of a nuts and bolts type of article than the one I proposed. Interesting. I was initially going to write a basic "how to" article about astrophotography back in the beginning. Then I started reading other articles about the subject and realized pretty quickly that this territory was pretty well covered. The article I was thinking about writing had already been written quite a few times. I thought my chances might improve if I wrote something original and different. Apparently not. I guess I could still write a "how to" article, but I don't think it would come out well. I would feel compelled to celebrate the weird and quirky ways I tend to do things rather than clearly and concisely articulating how everybody else could accomplish the same thing. Somehow it's always all about me. With the exception of the many advertising messages I was paid for, virtually everything I have ever written has been some sort of personal narrative.

Apparently bad weather is headed our way. It is supposed to get very, very cold later this week. We are definitely going to get some rain and there might even be snow. Yikes. All I can think of is that I hope the furnace  keeps working normally and the roof doesn't start leaking again. Household problems always seem to happen at the worst possible time. I don't know how Northerners can stand this type of weather. Every time I see someone celebrating snow, I wonder what is wrong with them. Snow and freezing weather are just a big nuisance.

Maybe I just like to complain. Later this Summer I'm sure I'll be complaining about how hot it is and how much I hate all the Texas bugs. If you ever find me writing about the pure joy of doing something, bookmark it. I'm sure this happens occasionally, but it is a very rare occurrence. In my world, complaining is perfectly OK as long as you keep slogging forward through the mud. In the words of Larry the Cable Guy, Git-R-Done.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

4063 - Superbowl Sunday

I expected Tampa Bay to win tonight, but I didn't expect the game to be a complete rout. Kansas City was completely humiliated. It just goes to show that you should never count the old guys out. Experience beats youth almost every time. At 43, Tom Brady never looked better. At 68, Bruce Arians is one of the oldest head coaches in the NFL. No risk it, no biscuit is what Bruce always says. I think Elon Musk would agree with this philosophy. Jeez. Rob Gronkowski even came out of retirement to play this year. Lets hear it for the old guys.

The NFL could learn a few lessons from the old guys when it comes to halftime shows. What on earth has happened to music. Do today's artists even have a clue? Personally, I don't think there has been a truly great halftime show since Micheal Jackson. Prince came pretty close when he sang Purple Rain in a driving rainstorm, but Michael Jackson is still the king of pop. Bruce Springsteen put on a good show. Bruno Mars put on a good show. That's about where it all ended. Recent Superbowl shows have been uniformly terrible. I couldn't even hear the Weeknd's vocals. The sound was muffled and there was way too much reverb. OK, I'll admit it. I've never even heard of the Weeknd. Who is this guy? And what on earth was that chorus of guys wearing jockstraps on their heads? 

I can't say much for the ads either. Superbowl ads used to be one of the best things about the game. Not anymore. The quality of Superbowl ads has been slowly deteriorating for years, but this year hit a new low. Usually car ads are the worst, but this year two of them were the best of the lot. I liked the humorous GM ad taking on Norway and I liked the serious Jeep ad about coming together in the middle. Most of the rest of the ads were crap. This is what happens when you cancel Stan Richards. There used to be Tom Brady's in the ad industry as well, but giants like George Lois and William Bernbach just don't exist anymore. 

After we finished walking Dawn, Janet and I took our long walk together. There is one particular duck we see frequently that we've always called the Lonely Duck because she never seemed to be part of a group. All the other ducks want nothing to do with this one. Today we watched the Lonely Duck chase four larger ducks off a little island. The four ducks had a conference and all went back after the little duck, but she lowered her head and held her ground.  She ran straight toward the larger ducks and they all scattered and started running toward the water. That wasn't good enough for the little duck. She started swimming toward the larger ducks and chased them entirely out of the lake. This performance explains a lot. We're not going to call her the Lonely Duck any more. From now on, she's the Mean Duck.

Tomorrow is Dawn's first anniversary living with us. A lot has changed, but a lot has stayed the same. Dawn is a well loved member of the family and we are convinced that she really likes it here, but she's still scared of everything. I don't think this is going to change. She is an older dog and has a lot of bad memories. You have to be careful not to make sudden movements or talk too loudly. She's always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Dawn has quite a personality though and always makes us laugh. In an odd way, I think we were all meant for each other.

Next week ought to be interesting. It's going to continue to get colder, although I don't think there is snow in the forecast anymore. Janet and I get our Covid shots next week. Will we get the Pfizer or the Moderna version? I still have no idea which of the two is better. If anyone does know, they're certainly not going to tell us at this point. We'll see how it goes. Hey, if we get to travel again, I'm good.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4062

Not a lot happened today. We had oarmeal and fruit for breakfast like we always do on Saturday. I went to the grocery store and got all the things I usually get. I don't know why I make a list. I seem to get the same things every week. We took Dawn on her one mile walk and after we returned to the house, I continued walking for a total of six miles. I've noticed that the lake is much lower than it was a month ago. This seems strange because we've been getting normal amounts of rain. One little cove where ducks used to congregate is completely dry now. 

It was cold when the wind was blowing and warm when the sun was shining. I kept taking my coat on and off again for the entire duration of my walk. By the time I returned home my feet were hurting pretty bad. This is very disappointing. I was doing so well the first month after I got my new shoes. I really thought the problem had been solved. Now my foot pain is almost as bad as it was before I went to see the doctor. What gives? The shoes are still pretty new and I'm walking the same way I always have.

I'm not sleeping well either. I think this is because of the weather. At certain times of year, I have terrible nasal congestion. I wake up during the night with a stuffed up nose and breathing through my mouth. My mouth is so dry that I go to the fridge and drink some water. Then I go to the bathroom and by the time I crawl back in bed, I'm wide awake. Sometimes this happens several times a night. Apparently, whenever my mouth gets dry, I wake up.

This happens every Winter, but it doesn't last too long. Unfortunately, when the nasal congestion goes away, it is replaced by Spring seasonal allergies. I'm not certain what I'm allergic to, but during the Spring growing season I'm constantly sneezing. The air filter in my car must be very good, because I almost never sneeze in the car. Dust, pollen, low humidity; there's always something in the air that bothers me. Sometimes I fantasize about wearing a space helmet and breathing pure oxygen. Pure oxygen would be nice.

The space station was supposed to fly over the house tonight. I went outside to look at the appointed time, but it was cloudy and I saw nothing. It was also very cold, which was surprising since the weather wasn't that bad this afternoon. I think it is supposed to get even colder next week. There is even snow in the forecast again. I hope the forecast is wrong. Allergies or no allergies, I'm ready for Spring.

Janet was out of the house this afternoon, and when I fixed Dawn's dinner she refused to leave the bedroom to eat. I knew she was hungry, but she wouldn't go out to her bowl until Janet came home. One of these days Janet will take a trip again and it will be just Dawn and me in the house together. That will be interesting. I really hope that Dawn finds a way to overcome her many fears.

It doesn't really feel like a Superbowl weekend. Was there even a football season this year? It didn't feel like it. I don't have any special feelings for either team, but I guess I'd like to see Tom Brady win. I always root for the old guys these days.

I discovered a Facebook group about my Kickstarter project. A lot of people seem to be skeptical and think that the product will never happen. I was actually surprised at all the negativity. I hope these people are wrong. This is my one shot at being optimistic this year.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4061

I was busy with correspondence today. I wrote the dehumidifier company and tried to explain why the warranty replacement unit they sent was still not working properly. I wrote both of my editors about future assignments. I'm trying to get an approval from Sky & Telescope to proceed with my astrophotography article and also trying to find out what SpaceFlight Magazine wants me to focus on next. I'd like to remain optimistic and assume that once most of us have been vaccinated, I will be able to travel freely again during the second half of the year. There are several interesting launch events this Spring, but it's still probably too early to travel. When I was working, my goal was usually to complete one work related task every day. Now, if I can manage to accomplish two or three things each year, that's pretty good. One way or another I will eventually find something new to write about.

Our vet called with the results from Dawn's latest urine test. She still has high levels of protein in her urine, which can often be an early sign of kidney disease. Her test results were better than last month though, so we are going to remain hopeful that things will continue to improve. Dawn's diet is good and she's drinking enough water now. We'll do another test in a month and if things don't continue to improve it will be time for an ultrasound test to determine if she might have bladder stones.

I got a notice that I could do my registration paperwork for the vaccine online to save time. There were quite a few items to fill out, so this probably actually will save me time when I get to the vaccination site. Whenever I look at my online medical records I find something wrong. You can't really change your medical records. All you can do is notify someone that there's been a mistake. Sometimes the mistake is corrected months later and other times nothing happens at all. The records that I looked at today say I still have Hepatitis-C. Very odd. The hospital group that sent me the forms was the very same hospital that cured me of the disease. The medical profession is a confusing labyrinth of conflicting information. I'm amazed that anything works at all.

So far this year I have had an elaborate set of tests to determine why I sometimes have coughing fits at dinner. The results of these video x-rays were inconclusive and I still have no idea why I cough so often. I consulted with an orthopedic surgeon recently to determine why I have persistent foot pain. I was really encouraged by the doctor's recommendations, but now the foot pain has returned. Basically I've coughed a lot and had foot pain for the last fifteen years. I've been to doctors before and the results have always been inconclusive. Medicine is messy and there aren't always easy answers. I'll take the vaccine but I don't think it's going to be a magic bullet. Why do I think that this will end up just like the flu vaccine and we'll end up taking this shot at least once a year for the rest of our lives. The whole idea of "back to normal" is probably just an illusion. We have just taken a short cut into the future.

The trouble with this Kickstarter campaign that I supported is now I'm going to be wondering about this commitment until the Fall when the product is supposed to start full production. Is this thing even going to happen? Did I throw my money down a rabbit hole? I'm really not very comfortable with uncertainty. In another universe, I'd probably make a very good dog.

It's time to make a grocery list again. I won't have to get gas this week though. I didn't do anywhere. I got word that last October's issue of SpaceFlight Magazine is finally in the mail to me. Maybe my dehumidifier problem will eventually get resolved as well. I still have hopes of being back at Kennedy Space Center before the end of the year. Sometimes I feel like nothing is happening, but time marches on. I just need to be patient.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4060

I backed a Kickstarter project today. Either I'm getting very bored, or my tolerance for risk is improving. I backed another Kickstarter project a long time ago and if memory serves, the project got funded and the product was eventually produced. I hope this project gets funded too. The product is very cool and will help me with my astrophotography efforts if it ever gets produced. You have to be patient with Kickstarter. A lot of ideas die on the vine and even successful projects can take a long, long time to go into production.

I received a package from the dehumidifier company this afternoon. Inside was a small piece of styrofoam. That's all. There were no instructions or anything. This wasn't what I was expecting at all. The styrofoam piece is the wrong size to fit into the bottom of the shut off float so it will actually float. Even if the small part did fit, the float would still not be able to shut off anything. I was expecting some sort of electrical switch that would turn the unit off when the tank became full. No luck there. This is very frustrating to say the least. I think the solution is just to never buy this brand of dehumidifier again.

Janet and I finally made our appointments to get vaccinated. We'll be getting our first shot early next week.   We opted for a hospital connected with our primary care physicians instead of one of those drive-thru mega sites. I've heard that this hospital has things running very smoothly and that you are in and out in less than twenty minutes. I hope that this is the case. I wasn't really anticipating such a demand for this vaccine. We decided that it would be a good idea to make our reservations now, before they opened the floodgates and let everyone get the vaccine. Right now the vaccine is only available to first responders, health care workers, and old people. Janet and I would be in the old people category.

It remains to be seen whether I'm going to feel comfortable traveling again after I get vaccinated. I hope so, because I don't think I'm going to get published again until I have a story to tell. There are going to be a lot of interesting launches this year and hopefully some star parties as well. I need to get on the road again, because it's hard to write about doing nothing. Years ago I had a regular column in a little magazine called The Dalmatian Quarterly. I just wrote about my dogs and the stories were well received. I guess I could write stories about Dawn, but the magazine is gone. It died, along with a lot of other interesting little magazines. I'm lucky that specialty publications like SpaceFlight Magazine still exist. I'm such a Luddite. Magazines are still much more satisfying to me than social media.

Dawn is still enjoying her two short walks each day. I'm not sure I'm enjoying my own walks though. My feet are starting to hurt again. The easy solution would be to just stop walking for a while until the foot pain subsides. That's hard to do though. I think I've become addicted to these long walks. They provide a structure to my day. Walking takes up so much time that I don't fret much about being idle. It's weird how walking really does occupy the mind. I decided to support the Kickstarter campaign on my walk today. I also came up with a different slant on my new Sky & Telescope article. There was a very unusual cloud formation overhead as I walked. It felt like I was looking up at an enormous quilt with an entire sky full of puffy little rectangular squares. These weird clouds were actually a transition to clear skies. By the time I returned home, the sky was completely clear.

I guess I'll have to contact the dehumidifier people again tomorrow. It's hardly worth the effort though. I really don't think anything will be resolved. I should probably just rake leaves and work on my astrophotography article. After I get that shot next week, my arm will probably be too sore to rake leaves anyway.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4059

I went to see the foot doctor again today. The visit was largely unnecessary since the guy is a surgeon and we've already decided that I wasn't a candidate for surgery. The doctor did approve of my shoes though and said I was doing all the right things. I asked him about my shoulder and he referred me to a different orthepedic surgeon. It's weird that doctors are so specialized now. Every doctor in this practice is an orthopedic surgeon, but they all seem to specialize in a different bone.

Dawn surprised us today. On her afternoon walk, she kept on walking after she finished her perfunctory mile. She ended up walking over two miles, making it a total of three miles for the day. Janet and I weren't expecting this, but we'll take what we can get. Dawn still seems to be enjoying her walks. I guess we'll just let her choose how far to go and see what happens.

The weather continues to be exceptionally nice for the middle of Winter. When I took my own longer walk after I returned from the doctor's office, I didn't need a jacket at all. I was able to walk wearing a t-shirt again. I hope this weather continues. I'll take a seventy degree day over six inches of snow any time I can get it. 

I still haven't started raking leaves, but my doctor's appointment and various walks with and without Dawn gave me an excuse. I don't have much of an excuse tomorrow, so I'd better get to work. Hmm. Maybe I do have an excuse.  I didn't watch the new episode of The Expanse today because I was too busy with other things. I think watching The Expanse sounds a lot better than raking leaves.

People are reading my Sky & Telescope article. My editor sent me a question he'd received from a planetarium director in Australia. Of course I didn't know the answer to this question since I'm not really an astronomer, but maybe my friends at the observatory can help me out. I think the magazine wants to feature the question in a future "letters to the editor" column.  I may need help with the new article I'm writing for the magazine as well. I'm struggling with this one. It's hard to write about the night sky when you aren't actually looking at the night sky. Nothing to see here in Dallas.

I'm discovering that quite a few people I know went down to Boca Chica for yesterday's SN9 Starship launch. It makes me feel like a slacker for not going myself. I still kind of feel like I am living on borrowed time and don't feel like going anywhere until I get vaccinated. I've actually traveled quite a bit during the pandemic and I feel like my luck will run out eventually. With vaccinations right around the corner for old coots like me, it just seems prudent to wait a while. There will be plenty of rockets to see next year. Who knows. I might even feel comfortable traveling again later this year.

I got a notice from UPS that a shipment of parts for my dehumidifier will be arriving tomorrow. This will be interesting. Did I bite off more than I can chew? I was hoping that the company would just exchange my unit for a brand new dehumidifier, but I guess the company already did that last month. My noisy dehumidifier with the missing shut off float supposedly is the brand new model. Oh, well. I guess I get to play Mr. Fix-it again.

I wonder where Dawn will want to go tomorrow. This dog continues to be a mystery. Who would have thought that I would fall for a dog that didn't even like me.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4058

I went to the bank and paid some bills today, but that was the only deviation from my eat, walk, sleep schedule. If I wanted to punish myself I guess I could go stand in line at one of the drive-thru vaccine mega-sites that are popping up around town. Never mind. I think I'll wait. I had so many bad experiences with my engine overheating in heavy traffic when I owned the old Land Rover Defender that I just can't bring myself to sit in a car inching through a line with the engine idling for hours at a time. I heard that the vaccine is coming to neighborhood pharmacies soon anyway. Truthfully, I'm in no hurry. I'll wait for a while and see if all you people posting about your vaccination on Facebook develop side effects.

The big event of the day was watching another Starship explode on the Boca Chica live feed. I guess it helps to be the world's richest man if you're doing this sort of thing. These huge rockets look pretty expensive. It's easy to forget that the same thing happened with Falcon 9. A lot of those rockets exploded in the beginning as well. This time next year I imagine that things will look a lot different. Practice makes perfect, or so they say.

The lens I bought recently just went on sale. Jeez. If only I'd waited a week. Oh, well. I seldom get lucky with bargains. It's a good lens and I know that I'll use it. The amount that I would have saved would have probably gotten wasted on something else anyway. Maybe I'll use this lens to photograph a Starship in Boca Chica someday. More and more of the launch photographers I know are starting to head down there. There is a growing feeling that this is where the real future is. I'll have to admit that it is pretty exciting to see Elon Musk cranking out gigantic rockets in a bunch of tents down on the Mexican border. This is the Wild West of space travel. You keep wondering what is going to happen next.

Dawn continues to enjoy taking two short one mile walks a day. We've wondered if she might take three one mile walks a day, but we really don't have time to try this experiment. Several short walks seem to take a lot longer than a single long one. Dawn seems happy walking the same predictable path over and over again. Who am I to question this? For the most part, I walk a very predictable path over and over again as well. My path is much longer, but that's about the only difference. 

I have an appointment for a follow up visit with the foot doctor tomorrow. I was ready to tell him that he'd completely solved my problem, but this week my foot has started to hurt again. What a disappointment. I don't know whether the recurring pain is because I'm walking faster now, or because my new shoes are already starting to show some wear. I guess I should be happy that the shoes have made a difference. At my age, there are going to be aches and pains no matter what I do.

I haven't been up on the roof in a long time. I suspect that there is still standing water up there, but I don't feel like climbing up to inspect things. We have a bird bath in the back yard and when the water evaporates in the bird bath I like to imagine that it has evaporated on the roof as well. Actually birds probably splash most of the water out of the bird bath, but that destroys my theory. The roof still isn't leaking and my shoulder still hurts, so I guess we'll just leave things as they are for the moment. 

It's getting dry enough to rake leaves again. That's the last thing I want to do, but we've got to get rid of all these leaves before Spring. I'm sure that raking leaves is actually pretty good exercise, but I'd much rather just daydream while I'm walking along the shoreline counting ducks.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4057

We brought Charlie a new octopus toy today. It took him about two seconds to abandon all his other toys and focus his attention on removing the squeaker from this one. Most dogs like to play tug with these type of toys. Charlie likes to thrash the toy around like he's killing a squirrel. It took about twenty minutes for him to wear himself out, but he saved just enough energy to catch treats in the air, which is one of his favorite things. Cooper liked the new toy too, but he played more conventionally and wanted us to play tug with him. Toys still scare Clyde, but he did take treats from us, so we're making progress.

Cooper is really making progress. He seems like a normal dog now. Charlie will never be a normal dog, but he is a lot of fun and smart as a whip. Clyde seems a lot like Dawn. He's scared of everything, but is gentle and sweet. I'd like to think that our weekly efforts to socialize these dogs is doing some good. I suspect that it is. Truthfully, these visits probably do more good for Janet and I than for the dogs. It's hard to beat playing with a bunch of Dalmatians.

Today was a pretty nice day. The weather was beautiful and a lot of little odds and ends seemed to finally come together. The dehumidifier manufacturer told me that they were sending me the missing parts on my replacement unit. I hope this will solve my problem, but there could be other missing parts inside the machine that I can't see. If they send the right parts, I'm pretty sure I can fix the auto shutoff mechanism. It seems like it might have been easier to just exchange the unit, but I'm not going to complain at this point. We'll see how this repair attempt goes.

I got my new 3M N95 masks today. These masks are supposed to be even better than the N95 masks I ordered last time. Janet and I will save them for when we have doctor's appointments. Judging from the people I see in the waiting room, I'd hazard a guess that visiting the doctor is a little more iffy than going to the grocery store. I've always been suspicious of hospitals. That's where the sick people are.

I got a notice from NASA that I could reapply to attend the Artemis-1 static fire test in February. Should I apply for press credentials again? I guess it all depends on whether I can get vaccinated before the test. This makes the static fire a real long shot at this point. Vaccine distribution isn't working very well yet. None of the neighborhood pharmacies that were originally supposed to be the primary distribution points have gotten their supplies of the vaccine. The huge mega sites are plagued with long lines and often turn people away after they have waited in line for hours. My primary care physician managed to get authorized as a distribution center, but they have only been sent 80 doses of the vaccine. That didn't go very far after all the doctors and staff vaccinated themselves. In theory, I'm in one of those high priority groups, but it certainly doesn't seem that way. Stay tuned. We'll see how long this takes.

I continue to be amazed at how quickly the temperature changes on a sunny day. It was near freezing when we woke up this morning, but by the time I took my long walk after we returned from the Dalmatian kennel, it was warm enough to go walking in a t-shirt. I didn't need a jacket at all. Dawn continues to take two short walks: one in the morning and another in the afternoon. It appears that this is what she has been wanting to do all along. All's well that ends well I guess.

Myles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4056

Today was quiet and uneventful. We had a leisurely breakfast before taking Dawn on her morning walk. Walks are not a problem now. Dawn really seems to enjoy things now that she's getting her own way. Janet continued walking with me after we took Dawn back to the house. I thought we were walking faster than usual, but my Fitbit said I was burning fewer calories than when I walked alone. Maybe you walk a little slower when you are talking. At any rate, it was a very pleasant walk even though it was still very windy today.

I need to find something to do. Now that following rocket launches and volunteering at the observatory have been curtailed for a while, I don't know what to do with myself. My office is littered with the debris from former interests and obsessions, but very little intrigues me anymore. 

When I was cleaning the other day, I found some old lenses I'd completely forgotten about. I knew that I'd used these lenses with digital cameras before, but I'd forgotten how to connect them. Where were the special adapters I'd purchased many years ago? My office is a black hole that just swallows stuff up. Looking for the adapters kept me occupied for hours. I finally found a fitting that seemed like it would allow a 500mm mirror lens from the 1980's to be connected to one of my older digital cameras. This was a start. If I could get the big telephoto lens to work with this camera, I knew where there was another adapter that I could add that would let it work with my newer mirrorless cameras. I have no idea why I spent so much time doing this because none of these older lenses are nearly as good as modern digital lenses. Sometimes I think I'm more interested in the cameras themselves than in the pictures they take.

There are two Starships sitting on the pad at Boca Chica right now. When I see the images of these monster rocket sitting right next to each other, it is very tempting to make a trip down to South Texas. Several of the launch photographers I've met in Florida have already made the trek. So what's stopping me? I already live in Texas. Lots of things actually. Space X has no real schedule. You could go down to Boca Chica and end up waiting for weeks before there was a launch attempt. There aren't a lot of places to stay either. Whenever there is a launch or hop planned, the few hotels on South Padre Island get booked very quickly. Sadly, the real reason I'm hesitant is snakes. I hate snakes and the dunes around Boca Chica are full of them. Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, Desert Massasauga, Cottonmouth, Corral Snakes, and more. They are all down there.

There are snakes here too, but I've learned how to avoid them. I certainly don't anticipate encountering a snake tomorrow when we go visit the rescue Dalmatians at the kennel. I think the same three dogs are there, but every once in a while we are surprised to meet a new one. I walk much later in the day on Mondays because we spend quite a while at the kennel. Last Monday the sun was setting by the time I returned to the house. Better late than never I guess. I still think walking is one of the best ways to stay healthy.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4055

It was hard to tell if today was a busy day or not. I did my grocery shopping, filled the car with gas, walked Dawn with Janet, walked six more miles by myself, and picked up some Chinese food for dinner. It still seemed like nothing happened. It was really windy today. There were whitecaps on the lake and I almost got blown over a couple of times. It must have been windy to the west of us as well. By sunset the sky started looking strange and you could tell that a dust storm was rolling in.

It's weird to listen to all the gloom and doom on television and then look around me when I leave the house. The park was full of people today and I had a hard time finding a parking place when I went to pick up dinner at PF Changs. There may be parts of the country that are still shut down, but Dallas isn't one of them. They say that local hospitals are full but you'd never know it. Everything looks completely normal in this town.

Leaves were blowing everywhere today and I was hoping that ours would blow away. No such luck. The thick mat of Oak leaves covering the back yard seems glued to the grass underneath. Maybe the leaves are still damp, but I think they are just being difficult. This was the perfect chance for them to blow away and save me a lot of work. It looks like I'll still have to spend an entire weekend raking leaves sometime before the next bulky trash day. We've decided that it isn't worth hiring a lawn service anymore, but when I look at all these leaves, I wonder if this was the right decision.

It's flu season again, but there have been almost no cases of the flu reported this year. Could it be that the best way to prevent the flu is just wearing masks and staying away from other people? Who would have thought. Maybe staying away from other people is the way to prevent most diseases. I keep waiting for isolation to start trending, but it's just not happening. People love to congregate. I wonder why. There are many hidden benefits to keeping to yourself and minding your own business, but I don't think I'm going to become a trend setter. Even I'm going to need the help of other people to return to Kennedy Space Center.

I should have continued yesterday's cleaning efforts, but my heart wasn't in it. It's discouraging to spend hours cleaning up the office and have the place look exactly the same when I'm finished. I started my company in 1990 and stuff has been accumulating in the office ever since. I was amazed yesterday at how many things I found that I had never even used. I'll get interested in something, buy the gear I need, and then my interests will turn elsewhere. I am well prepared though. Well prepared to be living in the 1980's anyway.

Janet said that Dawn waited at the door for me the entire time I went out to pick up dinner tonight. Was she waiting for me or the food? I suspect the latter. I think she's warming up to me, but we've got a ways to go. Sometimes this dog is just rude. Often when I want to take a nap on the bed, she will get up and go to her other bed in the kitchen. I keep telling her that she's supposed to be man's best friend.

I have no idea what I'm going to do tomorrow. Maybe I'll work on my article about astrophotography. It sure beats raking leaves.

Malcolm is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4054

I made another effort to declutter the office today. I gathered up a bunch of stuff to take to the storage warehouse and at the last minute decided to throw half of the pile away. Was this a breakthrough? I certainly hope so. The storage warehouse isn't big enough to hold all this stuff. Much of what I tossed today were portfolio samples. Back when my companuy was busy, I was meticulous about saving samples. I must have saved at least twenty copies of everything I did. Sometimes I would mail samples to prospective clients, but mostly I just hung on to them. As my company's reputation grew over the years, the samples became less and less important. Most of the jobs I got were by word of mouth. I don't even think I've looked at the samples I threw away today in over ten years. It's finally time for this stuff to go.

I got another invitation to schedule a vaccination from a major hospital today. These guys seemed a little more organized than my pharmacy. I made it to the end of the online application form and there were real dates and locations for me to choose. Before making my appointment, I went and asked Janet if I should go ahead and get the shot now. The first available appointment was actually tomorrow. I'm still a little uncertain about this whole process, but Janet said to go ahead and do it and started looking to see if she'd gotten an e-mail too. I went back to the computer and clicked on the date I wanted and got a message saying that this time slot was no longer available. I refreshed my screen and discovered that none of the time slots were available anymore. Snooze you lose I guess. I'll have to be quicker next time. There must have been tons of people who immediately jumped on this invitation right after getting their e-mail message.

Dawn seems like such a happy dog now. Maybe all she wanted was for us to do things her way. She loves her shorter walk and if Janet has time, she is often eager to take another short walk later in the day. We always knew that Dawn didn't like riding in the car. What we didn't know is that she didn't want to go anywhere that seemed unfamiliar. Dawn loves her new home with its big soft bed. Her life has been full of twists and turns. I think she's afraid that if she leaves this place, she might never come back. It's all good now. We'll take her on little walks where she always knows the way home and do everything we can to assure her that this place is hers forever.

I find it interesting that the one thing that had managed to bring this horribly divided country together is a hatred of Wall Street. Everyone is cheering on the band of young Robinhood investors who got together and brought down the powerful hedge funds and short sellers. Democrats, Republicans, and even loners like myself are applauding this democratization of Wall Street. I've been an investor for years and have never liked hedge funds and short sellers. I'd like to see the whole practice of shorting stocks banned forever. To me, investing remains simple. Buy shares of a company you believe in, hang on to the stock, and watch the company grow.

I've been waiting all week for the SN9 Starship to launch in Boca Chica. It appears now that the FAA thinks that Elon's rockets are dangerous and doesn't want to give him clearance to launch. Jeez. Give the guy a break. All rockets are dangerous. Somehow this same FAA thought that the 737 Max was safe enough to fly before they stated crashing. Let Elon pursue his dream of going to Mars. If the bureaucratic web becomes too tangled, he will just take his rockets elsewhere and Texas will lose a lot of high paying jobs.

It's time to make a grocery list again. These weeks really go quickly now. Time slows down a bit when the week is filled with activities. An empty week is exactly the opposite. Blink twice, and it's grocery day again.

Spirit is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4053

Last year at this time I had plans. I was getting ready to go to Florida for the ESA Solar Orbiter launch while simultaneously planning to spend several weeks out at McDonald Observatory. I had no idea that the world was about to change. NASA still had the welcome mat out. One of the last in person NASA Socials was taking place and there didn't appear to be any press restrictions. The Solar Orbiter launch would be my first with full press credentials and I remember enjoying riding on the press bus and sharing war stories with an interesting group of seasoned professionals. There wasn't a mask in sight.

The observatory needed my help for their annual Spring Break festivities when hundreds of people would converge on the visitor center every evening for the largest star parties of the year. I did see several Asians wearing masks when they visited my telescope at these star parties, but I didn't think anything of it at the time. Covid still seemed to be something happening a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

It's amazing how much has changed in a year. The observatory has been closed to visitors for months and it is very difficult to get press accreditation at Kennedy Space Center these days. I'm not even making plans anymore. Every time the world seems to try to return to normal, the virus says "not so fast" and introduces a whole new set of problems. My daily routine hasn't changed much at all, but I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. When I turn on the TV in the morning I always expect a surprise and often wonder how long this madness can continue.

One good thing about having dogs is that it gets you used to a fixed routine. Dog expect consistency. They like to be fed at a certain time, walked at a certain time, and even go to bed at a certain time. Add this to my own desire for consistency and you've got a day that is very regimented. I get up. Dawn eats her breakfast while I make the bed. I fix and slowly drink my humongous fruit smoothie. I check my e-mail and pay bills. We walk Dawn and then I continue on a much longer walk that can take two or three hours. When I return there's usually time for a few chores before dinner and then I write my blog post. Repeat this routine day after day and you can see why I'm ready for a trip.

There was an injured bird in the yard today. It didn't appear that the bird had been attacked by another animal, so we decided that it had probably flown into one of our large glass windows and was just dazed and confused. This has happened before and I've learned that it is best to just leave the bird alone for a while. The bird must have knocked itself silly, because it stayed in the same place for over three hours. Eventually it hopped up on a nearby ledge, looked around, and then flew away completely normally. I'm glad we didn't try to intervene. Trying to move the bird would have just made the situation worse.

Maybe I'm imagining things, but Dawn seems more relaxed with me lately. She followed me out to the kitchen when I was fixing her dinner this evening and she even hung around for a while when I was having breakfast. She's still pretty jumpy, but I think we are making progress. People occasionally ask me what happened to Dawn while I'm taking my long walk. I tell them that she's getting older and just doesn't like to walk as far any more. I imagine that's pretty close to the truth.

Thursday evening still seems like the end of the week to me. I've taken this week's trash to the curb and was very happy that it didn't include a dead bird.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4052

I used to own GameStop. I can't even remember how I acquired this stock, but I always thought it was a total dog and eventually sold it at a loss. Jeez. Who buys video games at a store anymore? Imagine my surprise when the stock went from 3 to over 300 in just a few days. Some kids on Reddit, cheered on by the likes of Elon Musk, decided to take down the short sellers and hedge funds and that's exactly what they did. Do I wish I'd held on to my shares a little longer? Maybe. It's a strange world we live in now. It's a little unsettling to see investing and sports betting converge, but I'll have to give these kids credit. I never liked the whole idea of short selling myself and always wondered why it was legal.

It was chilly today, but the skies were still blue and it was hard to complain about the weather. We walked Dawn earlier than usual because Janet had some things to do in the afternoon. I tried to give Dawn her second walk by myself later in the day, but Dawn was having no part of it. If Janet wasn't going, she wasn't either. I still follow the same trails where we used to take Dawn on a long walk. It's a nice walk and I still don't understand why Dawn doesn't like to do this anymore.

Wednesday has become the day I watch The Expanse. This won't last long because Series 5 is almost over, but for now it gives me something to do. I've watched Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, Farscape, Lexx, Firefly, and Dr. Who in the past. All these shows are kind of mindless and predictable, but so are Hallmark Movies. For now, The Expanse will have to do. I can't watch Dr. Who anymore. The writing is terrible.

I got a notice from my pharmacy today inviting me to schedule a vaccination. I went to the website and started filling out the application. I let them know I was over 65. I found a convenient location. I did all the steps until I got to the page where I was supposed to pick a date and time for my appointment. The entire months of January and February were greyed out and a note said there was no vaccine available yet. There wasn't even a place to leave your name. The page just said to try again later. Wouldn't it have been easier to just tell us this at the beginning? Why ask people to make an appointment when there is no opportunity to actually make an appointment? I don't think this appointment system is ready for prime time.

There were a bunch of small projects I was going to start today, but I didn't begin any of them. It's so easy to convince yourself that something can wait until tomorrow when it actually can wait until tomorrow. Last year I had some goals. It took me a year to get my story published in Sky & Telescope and almost as long to get press credentials at Kennedy Space Center. I had built up some some momentum but Covid has taken the wind out of my sails. What now? I've convinced myself that it would be stupid to travel at the moment. The virus is worse now than it was last April and with all these new variants cropping up, who's to say that the vaccine will even work on them? This is a time to find something that you really enjoy doing at home. Damn. I'm out of luck there.

Maybe I"ll start some of my small projects tomorrow. Maybe not though. Most of these projects are really just chores in disguise.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4051

I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I did get the new lens. There was actually some method to my madness. A 24-200 zoom is perfect for travel and will allow me to get the shots I need with less gear. I always like to travel light. Of course there are no trips planned. Covid is still raging and there is no place to go. Hey, you've got to start somewhere. I imagine by this summer Janet and I will both have been vaccinated and there will be plenty of safe places to go. Who knows, the observatory might even be needing volunteers again later this year.

If Facebook posts are any indication, everyone I know has already been vaccinated. How can this be? I keep reading that the vaccine is still in short supply and that it is hard to get an appointment. I know that my own pharmacy and doctors haven't gotten their supply yet. Maybe your chances of getting vaccinated depend on how badly you want the shot. Most of my friends who have gotten vaccinated are much more social than I am. They were probably willing to stand in line for hours. I imagine that many of them really, really want to return to their former lives. I'm still walking alone in the woods and happy enough to stay isolated. If I could go back to the observatory and Kennedy Space Center whenever I wanted, I could stay socially distanced forever. Masks are no problem. I'm starting to like masks.

Dawn took another afternoon walk today. Two short walks seem just fine to her. It's still a mystery why she lost interest in taking long walks in the morning, but many things are a mystery to me. If two shorter walks work for her, it's fine by me. My ongoing foot pain is equally mysterious. Yesterday, I could barely move. Today I was fine. I wore the same shoes, walked the same route, and enjoyed the same pleasant weather as I did yesterday, but what a difference. I had very little pain in my left foot today.

I finally heard from the dehumidifier folks. They said that they didn't receive my earlier messages and that the pictures I sent did indicate that there was a missing part. They suggested that I take the machine to a repair shop. I had to write them again and tell them that these pictures were of the supposedly brand new dehumidifier that they sent me just a few weeks ago. This machine should not have had missing parts in the first place. This situation is still not resolved, but I've got plenty of time. That's one good thing about being retired. I can keep writing these guys forever until I get results.

While I was at the camera store I got a new Lithium Ion battery for my audio recorder. Hopefully, this battery will hold a charge a little longer. I'm getting tired of reentering the time and date every time I turn the machine on. I've been faithfully keeping this machine ready to go for years but have only used it twice. I think the last time I used it was on a corporate video I was shooting in Las Vegas quite a few years ago. I'm always all dressed up with no place to go. Maybe I'll take this machine with me on my next rocket launch. The sound of a launch is really pretty awesome.

I need to get started on my Sky & Telescope idea again. I guess I was shocked when I started doing research and discovered that so many people were already writing about this stuff. The article I was planning has already been written dozens of times. Jeez. Amateur astrophotography is a much more popular hobby than I ever imagined. Some of these people are really excellent photographers. It's a bit intimidating. I need to remember that I have a secret weapon. My pictures of distant galaxies may not be that great, but I'm a pretty decent writer. I can describe my lousy pictures well and maybe even make you laugh.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4050

These weeks go quickly. It's Dalmatian day at the kennel again. Cooper was much more relaxed this week. He has started playing with toys and we discovered that he already knows several commands. If you have a treat in your hand he will sit, lie down, stay, and come. Clyde is still pretty shy, but he will sit and extend a paw for a treat. Charlie is still a crazy nut. He loves the new toy we bought him last week. It is shaped like an octopus with tough webbing tentacles and a head made of a rope that has been knotted into a ball. The toy is virtually indestructible, but give Charlie enough time and he will figure out a way to "kill" it. He loves to take the toy and vigorously shake it back and forth. I'm surprised he hasn't knocked himself out. 

Dawn walked two miles today. We discovered that after she walks her mile in the morning, she will walk the same route all over again later in the day. She might not do this every day, but she seemed to enjoy a double walk today. The weather was so nice this afternoon that we all enjoyed a second walk.

I continued walking again after Dawn and Janet returned to the house. I probably should have gone home with them. For some reason my foot pain returned with a vengeance this afternoon. I was still wearing the special shoes the foot doctor recommended, but there was no magic today. My left foot hurt so bad after I had gone five miles that I could barely make it home. Oddly, my wrist hurt more than usual today as well. Maybe my aches and pains are weather related. The weather was really nice this afternoon, but there were severe thunderstorms and a lot of rain overnight. Truthfully, I have no idea why my joint pain varies from day to day. I understand what is going on with the loss of cartilage, but logically it seems like the discomfort would be constant.

I bought some more N-95 masks today. I have a feeling that we're going to be wearing these things for a while. It's odd that N-95 masks are still hard to find. I have to order them from a specialty medical supply company in New York. You'd think that after companies have had almost a full year to ramp up production, these things would be everywhere.

I'm still thinking about buying a new lens for my camera. I probably will. There's nothing like a new lens to get me photographing things again. I don't have a lot of natural curiosity about the world around me, but I do like to test equipment. I"m much better at preparing for things than I am at actually doing them. Hey, what's to lose? If I ever get to attend rocket launches again or spend time at observatories, I'll be ready.

Janet and I are still trying to figure out Dawn's odd reaction to me. She is very friendly when we are resting on the bed together. She is very nervous when I'm out in the kitchen. She loves to eat, but sometimes she won't even leave the bedroom when I'm fixing her meals. I've learned to never make sudden moves. If I move suddenly, she panics and runs away. She likes me to walk her though and is very good on a leash with me. This inconsistent behavior doesn't make a lot of sense. Dawn has spent her entire life in a kennel. Maybe she just thinks I'm a kennel attendant.

I hope my foot feels better tomorrow. I don't think I'm walking too much, but maybe I am. If I had to give up walking, I'm not sure what I'd do. So much is on hold until the pandemic is over that walking has become the perfect placeholder for meaningful activity. Nobody questions walking. If I sat in my room for months and did nothing, people might become alarmed. If I say I'm going on a walk, everything is fine. 

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4049

I'm getting tired of all this rain. I keep forgetting that this happens every year, but the gloomy days are still irritating. It will be a while before we can rake the leaves. The yard is a soggy mess rtight now. We did manage to get Dawn walked before the rain started. That was a good thing. There are no problems with walks now that Dawn gets her own way. I'm not surprised that Dawn is stubborn. Most of our Dalmatians were stubborn. I'm just surprised that she doesn't like to walk. I thought all dogs loved a walk.

After we took Dawn back to the house, Janet continued walking with me. We generally walk along the same trails where we used to take Dawn and wonder what the problem is. We see lots of other people walking their dogs and most of the dogs seem to be having a great time. Oh, well. Dawn still walks a mile a day and maybe that's all the exercise she needs right now.

I need to find a project that doesn't involve cleaning or yard work. I'm kind of envious of my Florida photographer friends who still manage to show up at Kennedy Space Center for every single launch. It's just too expensive to do this unless you are a local. I'm a little less envious of my friends in West Texas. It's snowing out there and very cold. I have a feeling that I won't be returning to until the weather is warmer. West Texas is still a virus hot spot. 

It's weird that there is almost nothing I'm interested in doing in Dallas. Was there ever anything I was interested in doing in Dallas? It's hard to remember. Most of my time here has been spent behind this computer. If your occupation involves writing and web design, you end up spending an enormous amount of time staring at a computer screen. There's really no reason to continue doing this, but old habits die hard.

I spent some time this afternoon configuring my new camera. Every time I buy a camera, the menu list keeps getting longer and longer. New digital cameras are complicated. You can configure this one to do almost anything, but I doubt that I will ever use most of the settings. I still take pictures exactly the same way I did years ago with my old Nikon-F.

I've found a lens that I'd like to use with the new camera. Maybe I'll go out and look for this sometime next week. I used to buy almost all my equipment for the business online, but Covid has given me a new respect for local businesses. There aren't a lot of camera stores left in Dallas and I'd like to support them. I think retirement hit me at about the right time. This definitely isn't the best time to be running a small business. It doesn't seem fair that Amazon keeps getting richer while small businesses of all types are being decimated by the pandemic. Life never was fair though. Even the ducks in the park know that.

Something tripped a breaker while we were eating dinner tonight and the kitchen and utility room went dark. Strangely, the television and the microwave in the kitchen were still on. These appliances must have been on a different circuit. Nothing was turned on in the kitchen when the breaker got tripped, so the whole thing is a big mystery. Our new sensor that is supposed to monitor the electric wiring didn't detect anything either. Ghosts? It could be. This is a pretty old house.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day