Day 4941

Another uneventful day. I'm having problems connecting to the Internet this evening, so this post is taking a lot longer than expected. Actually, everything is taking longer than expected today, but that's pretty typical for a hot July day. I'm not looking forward to the next two months.

It's always deceptively cool on our sunrise walks with Dawn, but the pleasant weather doesn't last long. As soon as the sun hits our faces we know that we're in for another hot day. The humidity seems to have returned as well. Oh, well. So much for fixing the screen door today.

After finishing breakfast I drove to the post office and mailed the letter I wrote yesterday. Then I returned to the gym for another three mile walk on the indoor track and a little time on the basketball court. I know I need to work on my upper body strength, but when I'm finished with these two activities I'm usually ready to go home. At least I found a space in the parking garage today. The car stays much cooler when it's inside.

When I returned home I spent some time corresponding with my editor, trying to sort out which launches I'll be covering for the rest of the year. There are always more launches I'd like to attend than money for unlimited trips to Florida. I think I'll be able to attend the important launches though. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to do this. The magazine doesn't pay travel expenses and all these launches are more or less the same. It's still a pleasant experience to be considered a space journalist though. I guess I'll continue chasing rockets as long as I can.

I wish there was something that captured my interest right here in town. Right now I usually just feel like taking a long nap. I've thought about joining an astronomy club, but I hate driving at night. I've been spoiled by the dark skies out at McDonald Observatory as well. The night sky in Dallas isn't much to speak of. What else is there? I don't collect things anymore and I basically have everything I need. I don't even eat lunch much anymore. I used to frequently go out for lunch with people, but it was usually business related. Pretty much everything I did for thirty years was business related. Truthfully, retirement isn't all that exciting.

There are still plenty of chores to do around the house but I'm trying my best to avoid them. It's too hot to work outdoors and too messy to repair the damaged sheetrock on the ceiling. If we ever get a cool day I'll fix the screen door, but I'm not eager to do that either. In theory I could get more writing jobs. It's just a theory though. Just about all my contacts have either retired or died.

Tomorrow will be just like today. We'll have a nice walk with Dawn before it gets too hot. I'll go to the gym, but won't really take advantage of all it has to offer. I'll end the day with a blog post talking about how little happened that day.

Isabella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4940 - Independence Day

Today seemed like any other day. If I didn't turn on the television I might never have known it was Independence Day. It's a shame that the country is so divided. This should be a day that we all celebrate the many things we have in common. Instead we seem like a country divided right down the middle. It's not just politics either. One half of the country doesn't agree with the other half about anything. It kind of feels like we are in the middle of a lazy man's civil war.

I keep to myself and try to steer clear of all the arguments and division. A simple life is a good life as far as I'm concerned. We started the day as we always do with a sunrise walk. Dawn loves these walks, but she's not a very energetic dog. As soon as we return home she goes back to bed.

After my regular breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit, I gathered the tools I will need to fix the screen door. I didn't get around to actually fixing the door though. It already felt too hot outside. I wonder why this still feels like the hottest summer on record. Last Independence Day was much worse. I think it was 102 degrees at this time last year. This morning the temperature was only in the high 70's on our early walk. I think the older I get, the less I'm able to tolerate a normal Texas summer.

Since I didn't feel like doing anything useful this morning, I wrote a letter to my sister before getting ready to go to the gym. The post office was closed today, but I'll mail the letter tomorrow. I thought the gym would be empty today but it was surprisingly crowded. It didn't seem like I would be able to shoot baskets because people were playing pickleball on the basketball court. The pickleball game finished long before I completed my three miles on the indoor track, so I ended up doing the same thing that I did yesterday. A three mile walk and fifteen minutes on the basketball court seems to be my workout these days. I really ought to be doing more.

I've added lunch to my daily schedule but it doesn't change much. I still run out of things to do by mid-afternoon. Today I tested the Polaris star tracker again. I wanted to make sure it still worked with my new phone. The phone wasn't a problem but the tracker still isn't very reliable. It take forever to get the camera to connect with the app on my phone and I still haven't figured out how to do panorama shots. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but there still isn't a proper instruction manual for this thing. Will I ever use the little tracker for astrophotography? That remains to be seen. I certainly don't have any plans to go back to McDonald Observatory any time soon.

I haven't heard any fireworks this evening. That's strange. Usually it feels like a battle zone by this time of night. Maybe the big city sponsored shows got canceled. Maybe they are later this year. Who knows. At any rate we're lucky that Dawn isn't scared of fireworks. She doesn't seem to notice them at all.

Tomorrow will be another hot day. Maybe I'll finally get around to fixing the screen door, or maybe I'll do nothing at all. 

Matao is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4939

It was a little cooler today. It's surprising what a difference a few degrees can make. We had a very pleasant sunrise walk with Dawn this morning. For the first time in weeks we even saw a bunny again. Dawn loves these early walks but is not a very active dog. After we return home she usually spends the rest of the day sleeping.

After finishing breakfast I thought I'd take advantage of the slightly cooler weather and mow the grass. After mowing the front yard I realized that the temperature was a bit warmer than I'd thought. I was hot and tired. The back yard will have to wait. As long as this hot weather continues, I'll probably be limited to one outdoor task a day. Early mornings are OK, but it warms up quickly.

Janet had volunteer work today so we got an early start. When I finished mowing the grass after breakfast it still wasn't even 9 AM. I answered a letter from my editor at Spaceflight, paid a few bills, and then got ready to go to the gym. I haven't been to the gym this early before and it was probably a mistake. There must have been classes or meetings going on because the parking garage was completely full. I had to park outside which guaranteed a very hot car on the drive home.

For the third day in a row I did exactly the same things at the gym. I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court for fifteen minutes. I could have stayed a lot longer because I had no plans for the afternoon. I just didn't feel like doing anything else. Fitbit is getting on my case, telling me that I'm not exercising as much as I used to. Sorry. Three miles just isn't the same as six miles. I can't imagine walking six miles on that indoor track. Even three miles is incredibly boring. My pace was slower today. I guess mowing the grass tired me out more than I thought. Maybe I'll do better tomorrow. The gym will be open on Independence Day and I'm almost certain I'll be back. It's still way too hot for a daytime walk through the park.

I don't think I'll go to the gym this early again. It leaves too much of the day to fill when I return home. I've started eating lunch again just to kill time. There are definitely things that need attention around the house, but I loathe doing sheetrock repairs and I'm kind of afraid the screen door will fall apart if I attempt to put on a new screen. I have a feeling that my desire to avoid difficult tasks is why I do the laundry so often. Doing the laundry is marginally useful and it is very easy.

The July issue of SpaceFlight with my article about the Viasat 3 launch came in the mail today. The article about the Axiom 2 Mission will be in the August issue. Writing these articles is something I actually do enjoy doing. I've always enjoyed writing. I used to have a ton of writing jobs when print magazines were still popular. Most of these magazines and the ads they used to contain are gone now. Somebody still creates advertising but I'm definitely out of the loop. Most of the ads I see these days are absolutely terrible and the millennials who create them would never hire their grandfather anyway.

I don't know what I'll be doing tomorrow but it definitely won't include watching fireworks. We have no interest in fireworks anymore. Fireworks are just something that needlessly frightens dogs. I probably will go to the gym. Hey, you've got to do something.

Bob Hope is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4938

It was a little cooler today and it made a big difference. Temperatures in the mid eighties are a lot easier to handle than temperatures in the high nineties. Our early morning walk with Dawn was actually quite pleasant. Dawn certainly enjoyed her walk. If only the temperature would stay like this for the rest of the day.

We had another big weekend breakfast this morning and then I got ready to go to the mall. I try to leave earlier now so we can take Dawn on her Sunday outing earlier as well. Everything is based on the temperature these days. I was surprised to get caught in the rain while I was driving to the mall. I usually keep track of the weather and this rain was unexpected. The rain didn't last long unfortunately. We could have used a little more.

The mall was very quiet and almost empty when I arrived this morning. I like it this way. Most of the window displays have finally changed to summer apparel and I noticed that one new store had opened. I have been doing this long enough now that I have a mental map of all the stores and what is in their windows. The mall is arranged around a large outdoor courtyard, so you end up walking in a giant circle. It's a square actually, but you get the idea. Each circuit is a little over a half mile. I walk around the place five times, so I end up walking about two and a half miles. When you add Dawn's Sunday outing, I end up walking about the same distance as other days.

It's more interesting looking in store windows than walking around the indoor track at the gym. At certain times of year walking in the park is the most interesting of all, but not this summer. It is just a hot wasteland out there now. I try to keep a decent pace when I'm mall walking, but I'm always a bit slower than I am at the gym. Looking in windows, even if you keep moving, apparently slows you down. I still wonder who buys this stuff. There is nothing essential in any of these stores.

It was still cool enough to take Dawn on her Sunday outing when I got home. We walked a little slower and Dawn did fine. She enjoyed having new things to small. I still seem to walk slower than everyone else. Janet and Dawn arrived back at the car quite a while before I did. Hmm. I think I'm in reasonably good shape, although I might be kidding myself. 

As always, we went for ice cream cones on the way home. The cones have been softer for the past several weeks, but they still taste good. Maybe something is wrong with their machine. These cones are certainly no bargain, but it's a nice little tradition. Dawn loves ice cream too. It's nice to see her happy.

I doubt that we'll do anything special over the holidays. I'm just glad I survived Fourth of July as a kid with all my limbs intact. You could still buy cherry bombs and M-80's back then and my friends and I would spend the day blowing up things. Seems strange now that our parents never supervised us. Once we found an old iron pipe and made a cannon out of it, sending tin cans filled with sand hundreds of feet in the air.

If it stays cooler tomorrow I might mow the grass in the morning. It certainly needs it. The rest of the day will be pretty predictable. I'll go to the gym and write another uneventful blog post.

Bud is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4937

I tried going to bed early last night, but didn't really get any more sleep. I woke up this morning thinking it was Sunday. Nope. Only Saturday. Our sunrise walk with Dawn was a little cooler this morning. There was a nice breeze too. You appreciate the little things during a heat wave.

We had a big weekend breakfast this morning and then I did my grocery shopping and ran my weekly errands. I went to the bank and then stopped at a tire store and got a valve stem cover for a rear tire that had been missing one. I filled the car with gas and then went to Sam's Club where I discovered that the app I use to avoid the checkout line no longer worked with my new phone. I tried to fix things in the store but couldn't remember my password. Luckily I could still check out the old fashioned way. Eventually I got the app working again when I returned home. It's a learning process. I'm sure this won't be the last problem I'll have getting the phone configured.

When I got the groceries put away I went to the gym. I find walking in the park more enjoyable, but nothing outdoors is very enjoyable in this heat. The gym was pretty empty this afternoon. I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court again. I need to start doing something different, but when I finish these two things, I'm usually ready to go home. The best thing about this gym is that they keep the place extremely cold. You have to make a real effort to work up a sweat at this place.

This afternoon was slow. I just didn't feel like doing anything. I did some bookkeeping on the computer and then took a nap. Dawn still doesn't like me napping with her, but she'll have to get used to it. It's a hot summer and I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of naps in the days ahead. I can't decide whether to hire someone to fix the damaged sheetrock in the ceiling, or attempt to do the job myself. I've repaired cracks in the ceiling before and it's not all that hard. It is messy though. The easiest thing to do is just keep thinking about it and do nothing. This is what I've been doing with the screen door that needs to be fixed and the plan seems to be working.

Dawn wouldn't eat her dinner tonight. This was weird. She is always eager to eat her dinner. I thought something might be wrong, but as soon as Janet returned home Dawn ran to the kitchen and gobbled everything up. She was just being moody. I keep telling Dawn that she's running out of time to bond with me. Janet is going on vacation later this month. Dawn will eventually get used to life without Janet in the house, but she's not a happy camper. She is definitely a one person dog.

I'm already starting to hear fireworks going off. Dawn isn't scared of fireworks, but I feel sorry for the dogs who are. It's going to be a long four days for these dogs. We used to walk down to the lake and watch the fireworks displays on July 4th. We don't even bother anymore. There are too many mosquitos and ants at night.

I guess I'll go mall walking again tomorrow. I have a choice now since my gym is open on Sunday again, but I've grown to enjoy mall walking. I wonder what I'll see this week.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4936

I've got to start getting more sleep. After finishing my blog post I usually watch TV in bed for a while. I immediately fall asleep and don't wake up again until after nmidnight. I realize that I still have to run the dishwasher, empty the dehumidifier, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed. By the time I'm actually ready for sleep it is often 1 AM. We get up early too, so we can walk Dawn before it gets hot. There's probably an easy solution to this problem. I just need to write my blog post earlier. Easier said than done though. I'm a creature of habit and I've been doing this for a long time. I'm actually kind of glad that my blogging days are winding to a close. I'm running out of things to say.

It certainly doesn't help matters that every day this summer has been exactly the same. Today was no exception. We got up, took Dawn on her sunrise walk, looked for rabbits and critters along the way, and then returned home for breakfast. I made the bed, ate my shredded wheat and fruit, listened to the morning news for a while, and checked my messages before going to the gym. 

My routine at the gym was the same as yesterday as well. It's been the same all week. I walk three miles at a brisk pace on the indoor track and then shoot free throws on the basketball court for a while before heading home again. I always briefly think about doing more but seldom do. An hour and a half at the gym is usually enough for me.

The first thing I do when I return home is let Dawn outside to pee. Lately she doesn't pee, but just rolls in the grass instead. So much for that bath we gave her yesterday. Dawn like to lie out in the sun but I have to be careful that she doesn't stay out too long. I don't think Dawn realizes how dangerous this heat can be.

I never used to eat lunch, but I've been having a toasted ham sandwich lately. I melt some sharp cheddar cheese on the toasted bread and then put thin strips of ham on top. I'll usually drink a can of sparkling water with the sandwich. It's a tasty little lunch and I try to eat a little less for dinner to compensate. My weight has remained constant for years and I don't want that to change.

In the winter I might start on some sort of project in the afternoon, but this summer it is just too hot. I don't feel like doing anything and usually end up taking a nap. Probably I actually get plenty of sleep. It's just spread out throughout the day. I've noticed that Dawn often stays on the bed with me now when I take an afternoon nap. That's progress I guess.

Today is Dawn's favorite day. It's always grocery day on Friday and Dawn waits for Janet to return for at least an hour before she arrives with the groceries. Putting the groceries away seems to be a very big deal for Dawn. She gets very excited and follows Janet around until everything is in it's place. Oddly, she shows no interest at all when I do my own grocery shopping on Saturday.

Tomorrow's schedule will be a little different since I do my grocery shopping in the morning. Dawn will still get a sunrise walk. I'll go to the gym. And I'll end the day with a blog post. Pretty much the same thing as today. It's always Groundhog Day around here.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4935

So glad the air conditioner is working. This heat has been relentless. It doesn't even cool down at night anymore. When we take Dawn on her sunrise walk the temperature is already in the 80's. At least it's not quite as humid as it was a few days ago. Early mornings are still the best time of the day though. There's almost always a nice breeze and you can convince yourself that it's going to be a nice day until the rising sun hits your face. I don't know how landscaping crews and mail carriers continue to work in this heat. As soon as the sun comes up I'm ready to go back inside for the rest of the day.

My routine is pretty boring this summer, but I think everyone else's is as well. We see the same people doing exactly the same things day after day. I think the city has discovered that early mornings are the only time to be outside. We're seeing lots more people in the park on our early walks. Many of them have dogs. This is really the only safe time to take your dog on a long walk.

I linger over breakfast these days. There is usually nothing in particular I want to do and lots of things I don't want to do. When I checked my Fitbit this morning there was a message on the screen asking me to switch my account to Google. I keep forgetting that Google owns Fitbit now. I'm sure that they'll figure a way to monetize the Fitbit stats of millions of users. I used to be concerned about companies having so much access to my information. Now I don't even care. It's pretty clear that they already have all the information anyway.

It looks like driving to the gym is going to be part of my daily routine for the foreseeable future. June is never the hottest month of the year. I'm afraid this heat is going to be even worse in July and August. Actually it's pretty warm in Texas until mid October. I don't mind going to the gym every day. The exercise is good for me. I'm having to fill my tank more often now though. I usually spend very little for gas because I don't go anywhere. Looks like that's about to change.

Today I did exactly the same things I did yesterday. I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court for fifteen minutes. The gym has a nice weight room and I really ought to spend more time working with free weights. I talk a lot about improving my upper body strength. At some point I really need to do something about it. All the walking I do is good for my heart. The rest of my body needs some work.

I had a quick lunch when I returned from the gym and then Janet and I took Dawn to a self-bathe place for a bath. Like many dogs, she hates getting a bath, but she definitely needed one. Dawn likes to roll in the grass in the back yard and gets dirty quickly. She also needed her nails trimmed today. We'll see how long Dawn manages to stay clean this time. It probably won't be long.

I'm noticing that my new phone is much faster than my old phone was. Everything downloads extremely fast now. Speed is not a big issue with me, but it does make me realize how slow my main computer is. Eventually I'll need to replace that as well. It would be nice if I had a business reason to replace the computer but it will probably just be boredom that drives me to the Apple Store again. When you get my age, you don't really need anything.

It's hard to believe it's almost July. It still seems like I put away the Christmas tree just a few weeks ago. 

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4934

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

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

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

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

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

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

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4933

I got a new phone today. I'm already wishing I had the old phone back. In theory transfering everything from the old phone to the new phone was supposed to be a no brainer. In practice it was a little more difficult. Most things downloaded smoothly from my iCloud account. Everything connected using Bluetooth became unpaired though. The new phone wouldn't recognize my Apple Watch at all and I had to erase it and start over. I'm still trying to reconnect Bluetooth devices like my Fitbit and the petcam monitor. I'm sure I'll have to reconnect the new phone to my car as well. Was this worth it? Time will tell I guess. At least I'll be able to run a current operating system on my phone and Apple Watch again.

I should have just let the Apple Store people configure the phone for me. I had to learn the hard way that you have to unpair things from the old phone before you can pair them again with the new phone. There are no warning messages saying "still connected to your old phone" You just get a failure notice and a button that asks you to try again. I hit that try again button quite a few times before I realized that it wasn't going to work. I hope the iCloud saved all my passwords. This is going to get really tedious if I have to manually reenter passwords for all my apps.

I did do a few other things today. We took Dawn on a nice early morning walk and then I made the bed and ate my breakfast. It was even hotter today than yesterday. Usually the sun comes up on the final leg of our sunrise walk and you can instantly feel the temperature start to rise. It's still very humid outside too. Until this heat wave ends, I'm going to try my best to avoid outdoor chores and activities.

Heat wave or not, I'm still determined to get my steps. This probably means a daily trip to the gym. Today I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court. I probably had the energy to do more, but I got a late start today and still needed to go purchase the new phone before I headed home again. I need to quit worrying about Fitbit steps so much and concentrate on rebuilding my upper body strength. All the tools are there. I just need to use them. Maybe I can force myself to be a little more organized tomorrow. Unless a miracle happens with the weather, I'm sure I'll be back at the gym every day this week.

There are so many things I need to do around the house, but it's just too hot outside to deal with most of them. I'm sure I could repaint the trim around the edge of the roof myself, but I don't want to attempt this in triple digit temperatures. I don't wand to put a new screen on the screen door either. Lets face it, I don't really want to go outside again until Fall. Our sunrise walks with Dawn are still enjoyable, but we're probably going to have to start a little earlier on those as well. 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. With my luck I'll probably still be trying to reconnect apps on the new phone. When I eventually complete updating my phone and watch, the main computer is going to seem even slower. I don't even want to think about getting a new desktop computer though. Enough is enough. I can't afford any more big purchases anyway.

I'm hoping for an uneventful day tomorrow. It would be nice if it was a little cooler as well, but that's probably too much to hope for.

Rascal is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4932

I guess I'd better get used to this heat. It's not going away. Each morning when we take Dawn on her sunrise walk it seems a little warmer than it did the previous day. The low temperature is in the eighties now with the highs in triple digits. That being said, our sunrise walks are still the best part of the day. There is usually a nice breeze and no hot sun beating down on your head. We all enjoy these early morning walks. Until the weather cools down a bit they are the only walks that Dawn gets.

I had my shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast and then foolishly decided to tackle a few outdoor chores. I didn't do much, but it was enough to make me realize that this is not the time to be doing yard work. I'm surprised that the mail still gets delivered. The other day a Dallas mailman died delivering the mail in this heat. I cleaned the spiderwebs off the eaves and living room windows and then watered some plants that were looking really dry. That was enough for one day. Dawn likes to sun herself in the grass but I have to watch her carefully and make sure she doesn't stay out too long. 

We haven't seen any rabbits on our sunrise walks this week and it makes me wonder how the animals in the park are handling this heat. There's lots of underbrush in the prairie areas and I'm sure the smaller animals can use this to hide from the sun. I need to remember to put some water out for the squirrels. Even the birdbath in our back yard has gone dry.

Our air conditioner is working well, but I hate to think what our electric bill is going to be next month. I guess it was a good thing that we added three inches of insulation to our new roof. It's bound to help some, but with so much single pane glass in the house, it's still hard to keep the place cool. Usually I'm glad when the rainy season is over. Not this year. I'm ready for Fall and the worst of summer hasn't even arrived yet.

I got a check in the mail from Wells Fargo today. There was no explanation and I thought it might be part of some kind of scam. I called my broker to see if the check might have been part of some kind of sale on their part. Nope. They had nothing to do with Wells Fargo. My broker reminded me that Wells Fargo had recently settled a huge class action lawsuit and asked if I was ever a customer. Bingo. Jeez. That was twenty years ago though. Just goes to show that you never know what you're going to receive in the mail.

I went back to the gym later this morning. Going to the gym is probably the only way I'm going to get my steps for the rest of the summer. After I walked two miles on the indoor track, I shot free throws on the basketball court for a while and then used some of the machines to work on my upper body strength. I actually had a pretty decent workout today. Going to the gym every day has made me realize that my car gets terrible gas mileage. Probably a big 5.2 liter V-8 is't the best thing for driving around town.

I'm still debating whether to get a new phone. The old phone works fine but I haven't been able up update the operating system in years. Since I can't update the IOS, I can't update my Apple Watch either. I can postpone the inevitable, but eventually I'm going to have to update the phone for security reasons alone. A lot of modern apps won't run on my old phone either. I'm very comfortable with using obsolete software, but this can't go on forever. 

Tomorrow looks like more of the same. We'll get up early and take a sunrise walk with Dawn. I"ll eat my breakfast while becoming disgusted with what's on TV. Then I'll sort through the spam in my e-mail to see if I have any real messages. I'm sure I'll go to the gym. The gym is actually colder than inside our house. It's not a bad place to hang out on days like this.

Derrick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4931

We've had hotter summers before, so why does this one seem so bad? I'm probably just getting older and can't handle these temperatures as well. Social media didn't exist during some of our previous heat waves either. I think being constantly reminded of something tends to make it worse. Being immersed in bad news isn't limited to the weather either. I can't excape from bad news anymore. Life actually seems pretty good until I turn on the TV or fire up my computer. Maybe the heat would be more bearable if I wasn't wondering what it all means.

I like our early morning walks with Dawn. Nothing bad has happened yet and simple things like seeing a rabbit bring pleasure. The temperature is much cooler just before sunrise and there is usually a nice breeze. Dawn loves her morning walks and is very serious about smelling things. Let's face it. Dogs are easy to please. I wish this illusion of peace and tranquility would last a little longer. I could probably extend the spell for an extra hour or so if I just didn't turn on the TV while I was eating breakfast.

We didn't have our usual big breakfast today because Janet had a class to go to. I ate my shredded wheat and fruit and then got ready to go mall walking. I go earlier now because I only recently realized that the mall is open for walkers sooner than I thought. Mall walking is actually very similar to walking around the indoor track at the gym. It's flat, the temperature is controlled, and I usually walk about the same distance at either place. Walking around the mall is more interesting though. I find looking in overpriced store windows more interesting than watching old people get their physical therapy at the gym.

There were not a lot of changes this week. Only one new store opened and very few of the window displays changed. These windows are becoming very familiar now and I notice very small changes. Only a few stores change their displays every week. Some never change them at all. I'm starting to recognize other walkers. I think the same people walk every week. The older people are easy to recognize, but the young women pushing kids in strollers all look the same. Men take their little kids to the mall too, but they never push strollers. I kind of wished the Apple Store opened early. I might have bought a new phone this morning.

We didn't take Dawn on her Sunday outing walk this morning because it was too hot outside. She still got to go for ice cream though. We just drove to the ice cream store, ate our cones in the car, and then came home. This is probably all Dawn really wanted anyway.

Lately I haven't been very active in the afternoon. Most of my activity seems to take place in the morning. I think I like the notion of the siesta. In some hot climates the typical siesta lasts from 2 to 5 PM. Seems about right. There are plenty of things that need attention around the house, but it's hard to get interested. I look at these things and realize that the task will still be around tomorrow. I'll eventually get around to these things. All in good time. Hey, we did finally get a new roof didn't we.

I'm not sure what I'll be doing tomorrow. There is no rain in the forecast for the next week, so it's a safe bet that it will be very hot outside. If I want to take care of any outdoor chores, it's going to have to be very early in the morning. I'll probably just go to the gym again and call it a day.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4930

Just a normal Saturday. We took Dawn on an early walk to avoid the heat, we had a big weekend breakfast, and then I got ready to do my grocery shopping. My grocery list was a little longer than usual today and I had to go to four different stores. I do my shopping earlier now, but the roads are still crowded. A lot of newcomers have moved to Dallas in recent years. A lot of them have apparently arrived recently because today I saw almost as many out of state plates on cars as Texas plates.

I'm really not fond of crowds. Every time I'm out and about, I grow nostalgic for the emptiness and wide open spaces of West Texas. Dallas is way too busy these days. I'm glad my working years are over. I'd hate fighting this traffic every day on the way to work. I got my shopping done as quickly as I could and headed back home. There are always surprises on my shopping run. I couldn't find my favorite brand of beer today and had to pick something else. I did find real whipping cream though, which has been in short supply recently.

It was too hot and humid to walk in the park this afternoon, so I headed back to the gym as soon as I put the groceries away. The gym was fairly empty this afternoon but there were people already using the basketball court so I didn't get to shoot baskets today. I walked around the indoor track until I got my Fitbit steps, worked on upper body strength with a few machines, and went back home again. It wasn't really a serious workout, but it was as good enough for me.

I'm still thinking about getting a new phone. There's nothing wrong with my current phone, but Janet's new phone has renewed my interest in getting something better. It isn't that hard to justify a new phone. It seems like I spend half my life using three Apple products. It's hard to imagine living without an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a computer anymore. I lived many, many years with any of these things and I'm not sure being connected had made my life better. I'll probably get the phone though. The newer cameras on these phones are great and there's an app for everything these days.

All my activity seems to take place in the morning lately. I finished all my shopping and was home from the gym before noon. I didn't do anything useful this afternoon. I wandered aimlessly around the house and took several short naps. There are definitely things that need attention, but it just seems too hot to start anything. I'm trying to decide whether to attempt painting the house myself. It's time. I've done this before but it's a messy job and I'm a lot older now. For now, I just keep looking at problem areas and wishing they'd go away.

I guess I'll go mall walking tomorrow. I discovered that my gym has reopened on Sundays now, but I've grown to like mall walking. Mall walking lets me observe the world without actually interacting with it. Maybe I need a weekly reminder of how silly and superficial our society has become. At least I've got a choice of things to do indoors now. Until this weather cools down a bit, it might be a while before I go walking in the park again.

Rio is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4929

It's going to be a long summer. It's only June and I don't think the temperature is going to get any cooler in July and August. The heat makes it even harder to stay optimistic. Every time I turn on the television I feel like I'm watching society crumble around me. There seems to be this desire to deconstruct everything that has worked in the past and start over. Lots of luck with that. I'm not inherently against change, but I think we are headed in the wrong direction. Western Civilization wasn't all that bad. So, are these the end times we are living in? I'm not a terribly religious person, but it certainly feels that way.

To stay sane I just focus on day-to-day life. I don't get involved in politics or grand causes. I do read history though. Humans seem to make the same mistakes over and over again. I think it's a safe bet that we won't be here nearly as long as the dinosaurs were. It may seem simplistic, but I think the world would be a better place if we all just minded our own business.

I try my best to mind my own business. When I was renewing my gym membership yesterday they seemed surprised that I wasn't interested in having a personal trainer. That's the last thing I'd want. One of the reasons I go to the gym is that it is very peaceful to walk around the indoor track in silence. I feel the same way about my walks in the parks. I almost never talk to anyone but I am very observant. Over the years I've learned the names and characteristics of virtually all the plants and animals in the park. Almost anything can be an educational experience. I have no interest in taking classes, but I'm always downloading instruction manuals and trying to figure things out on my own. Trial and error is often the best teacher.

I can't say that I've learned anything today, but you've got to play the long game. I did learn a few new things yesterday. Today started out as it always does with a sunrise walk with Dawn. We always look for bunnies, but we didn't see any today. We often see a mother duck taking her ducklings down to the lake from where they spend the night in the tall prairie grass. Less than a month ago the ducklings were tiny. Now they are almost full grown. They still follow the mother duck down to the water though.

The temperature was in the eighties this morning but I still went to the gym because it was humid outside. I didn't shoot baskets today because people were playing pickleball on the basketball court. I don't understand the fascination with pickleball. It seems like a cross between tennis and ping pong, played with a green plastic wiffleball. I did walk three miles on the indoor track. I am able to walk faster on the indoor track than I do in the park and my speed is more or less constant. This was initially surprising to me, but I guess it makes sense. I'm not fighting steep hills and humidity. The track is even cushioned against impact so it is easy on your feet. The only downside to going to the gym is that I'm driving a lot more. My car gets terrible gas mileage.

I've started eating lunch again and fixed myself a ham and cheese sandwich when I returned from the gym while Dawn waited for Janet to return with the groceries. Dawn gets very excited on grocery day and is always nearby when Janet is putting away the groceries. I just try to stay out of the way.

I do my own grocery shopping tomorrow. I'll probably go back to the gym as well. It's certainly not getting any cooler outside.

Boo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4928

Last night's rain cooled things down a little this morning, but the temporary respite from our ongoing heat wave didn't last long. By mid-morning it was already hot and muggy again. At least Dawn got a nice early walk this morning. It's a shame that it's too hot for her to walk in the afternoon, but at least she gets a little activity.

With a forecast that includes triple digit temperatures for the next ten days, I don't think I'm going to be walking in the park for a while. I ate my weekday breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit and then headed for the gym to attempt to renew my membership. It turned out the the whole membership issue was no big deal. They told me that they just need to confirm that all my information was correct once a year. I'm still a member in good standing.

I only accomplished two things today, I walked three miles on the indoor track and I shot some baskets on the basketball court. I'm really glad I didn't have to change gyms. My favorite things about this gym are the basketball court and the nice indoor track. For some reason I like using the indoor track a lot more than using a treadmill. The basketball court is just for fun. I'm not very good, but I enjoy shooting baskets.

The Internet is definitely not fun anymore. Navigating websites has become a password hell, now that everyone is demanding unique and complex passwords that are impossible to remember. Gone are the days on innocence where I used to use the same password for everything. I'm beginning to think my Luddite sister is right. Who needs this? I had to call my hosting company today and ask if they could get rid of the person or people who are spoofing or cloning my e-mail address. At least once a week I find mail in my spam folder that appears to come from me. I'm sure other people get this spam as well. The tech support guy said he'd increase the spam protection on my account so I would no longer see these messages. "You're missing the point," I said. "I don't care if I see them. I don't want the rest of the world getting spam that appears to come from me." We'll see if the hosting company can do anything. My hopes aren't very high at this point.

I got my known traveler number from TSA today. Wow. That was quick. I thought I'd be getting a physical card to keep in my wallet, but that's apparently not the way it works. You add your known traveler number to your profile on the various airline sites you use and then when you book a flight it shows up on your boarding pass that you are TSA Pre approved. I guess we'll see how this works the next time I travel. If it works this will save me a ton of time at the Orlando airport.

Janet has a vacation planned and I'm practically begging Dawn to bond with me before she leaves. The last time Janet went on vacation Dawn was a mess. She wouldn't even come out in the kitchen to eat her breakfast. I had to feed her breakfast in bed. Eventually I got her used to going down to the park with me to do her business, but she never would take a walk with me. As soon as she pooped, she headed straight back to the house. Life would be much less stressful for Dawn if she understood that I really liked her and would never harm her. This may never happen though. Dawn spent too many year being used as a breeding dog by two guys who weren't nice at all.

It looks like tomorrow will be another day just like today. The temperature is going to keep getting a little hotter every day for the next ten days. I really hope we don't have a power outage or air conditioner problems. Next month's electric bill is going to be sky high, but that's the price you pay for living in Texas in the summer.

Kirby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4927 - Summer Solstice

Not a lot happened today. We're still dealing with a heat wave that destroys your will to do anything. At least our air conditioner is still working though. Our sunrise walks with Dawn are the only tolerable part of the day. The temperature was already in the mid-80's on our early walk this morning, but there was a nice breeze. The sky looked like it was going to rain and sure enough it did later in the day. Unfortunately, the  rain didn't cool things down much. It still feels like a sauna outside.

I didn't even think about walking in the park today. I went to the gym after breakfast this morning and walked three miles around the indoor track. I didn't really feel like doing anything else. When I got home there was a message from the gym saying my membership had expired. What? This seemed odd since the app on my phone still let me check in today. I've been thinking that my gym has changed ownership lately. A lot of things seems different. I hope they haven't dropped the annual membership provided by my supplemental health insurance. I don't know if this gym means enough to me to pay a monthly fee. I guess I'll find out what is going on the next time I go.

My editor at SpaceFlight wrote today with questions about some of the facts in my latest article. I know I didn't just make things up, but I couldn't find the source of the information I was writing about. The information probably came from one of the interviews I had with Axiom executives down at Kennedy Space Center. Unfortunately I erased the interviews as soon as I finished the article because they used up all the space on my phone. I actually think I was wrong because I couldn't find the dates I mentioned in the article anywhere. Oh, well. So it goes.

I've been thinking about getting a new phone but I'm having second thoughts now after seeing the problems Janet is having getting some of her favorite apps to work on her new phone. Electronics are getting to be such a hassle. Everything keeps changing and not always for the better. I was happier with my phone and computers ten years ago than I am now. Twenty years ago everything was perfect. I made my living designing websites for many years, but I don't even enjoy visiting them now. All the news sites have paywalls and most of the others use widgets and special coding that is not supported by my aging browsers. It's irritating. Every day things crash or freeze and I have no idea why. I was a good designer too. I just don't deal with change very well.

I was originally planning on attending an upcoming Delta IV Heavy launch down at Kennedy Space Center. I'm glad I didn't go though because the launch keeps getting delayed by bad weather and mechanical problems. The launch is now supposed to take place early tomorrow morning at 3:25 AM. Why do I still want to see these things? I'd really rather be asleep in my own bed at 3:25 AM.

We got a lot of rain this evening and the roof still isn't leaking. That's good. It's not draining well though. That's not so good. I looked early this morning and there was still standing water from an earlier rain three days ago. I hope this company stands behind their warranty because I'm afraid this roof is going to spend a lot of time under water.

Barley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4926

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alamo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4925 - My Birthday

I turned 75 today. Any way you measure it, that's getting old. I think I'm hanging in there though. We started the day early to avoid the heat. Dawn got a nice sunrise walk and then I had my regular breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit. Right after breakfast I mowed the grass. I did both the front and back yards and was finished before 9 AM. The temperature was already in the mid-eighties, but it was still overcast so I decided to take a short walk and get my steps before it got really hot.

I'm definitely slowing down and am not as fit as I used to be, but I felt good that I was still able to do this much on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year. My Mom had already passed away before she reached 75 and my Dad had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and a host of other ailments by his 75th birthday. I'm basically still reasonably healthy. I try to walk six miles every day and am staying active. Who knows how long I can continue this, but nothing is stopping me at this point. I still hope to be attending launches at Kennedy Space Center when I'm 85.

I'm glad we walked Dawn really early this morning because it was way too hot for her to be outside later in the day. It looks like this heat wave is going to continue for the rest of the week. Luckily our air conditioner is working well and I think the insulation we added to the roof is helping keep the house cooler. I'm glad we didn't have to deal with the power outages that plagued other parts of the community after last week's storms. This is not the time to be dealing with power outages.

It was a low key and largely uneventful birthday, but I felt good about it. I didn't do much during the afternoon. I took a shower and looked at my birthday messages on Facebook. I'm not a big fan of social media anymore, but I still think these birthday messages are a nice thing. Nobody sends cards anymore. I got one birthday card from my Luddite sister who has probably never even looked at Facebook. Later in the afternoon I tried to take a nap with Dawn but she wasn't in a celebratory mood. As soon as I went in the bedroom, Dawn went out in the kitchen.

Janet and I went out for dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant. We've been there for birthdays before and the food is always good. The prices were a bit higher and the portions were slightly smaller, but what else is new. All restaurants are doing this. At least the place was still in business. A lot of our favorite restaurants didn't survive the pandemic and are no longer here. Our waiter seemed disappointed that we weren't having dessert, but we had cake at home. We wanted to include Dawn in the birthday celebration.

After some cake and a glass of champagne, I did what I always do every evening. I wrote a blog post. Since I will have reached my 5000 Day goal before my next birthday, this might be my last birthday post. We'll see what happens.

Inky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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