Day 1879

Today was consumed with the minutiae of everyday life. Everywhere I turned there were nagging little details that refused to be resolved. There were medical bills that were sent directly to me instead of my insurance provider. Nobody knew why. There was a glaring imbalance when I tried to reconcile my bank account. Did I forget to record a check? Were there electronic transfers that I didn't remember? The difference between the bank statement and the checkbook weren't large, but what was causing things to add up differently? I still don't know.

I did finish an article today, but even that was harder than I anticipated. Sometimes it can be quite difficult to write 500 words when 50 would suffice. I'm used to writing about nothing, but occasionally I run out of adjectives. How many times can you say exceptional, superlative, exquisite, and iconic? These words are almost mandatory when you are writing about luxury goods however. It can get boring.

The best thing about today was breakfast. Now that she has retired, Janet has started joining me on my Friday morning breakfast outings. She likes the food too, but I don't think this is the high point of her day. Actually she'd rather be working. I don't think retirement suits her. She's already looking for another job. Not me. I'd love to officially retire. Freelancers and small business owners never retire though. I don't have much of a retirement plan, so I just keep working and hope that the stock market  eventually turns around. My holy grail is a booming stock market, $100 a barrel oil, and high interest rates. That's the only way I'll ever make any money.

The weather was weird today. It was in the low thirties when we got up this morning, but by mid-afternoon it was almost Springlike. By the time I took the dogs on their evening walk it was 70 degrees. I'm not complaining. I hope it is 70 degrees again tomorrow. If it stays warm, maybe I'll wash the car. It seems pointless to wash the car when it's cold and wet. Even more pointless when the water hose is frozen.

I'm trying to decide whether cleaning up dog poop in the back yard or cleaning my office is more onerous. Both jobs seem pretty unpleasant at the moment. My office has really gotten out of hand. Every available surface is covered with clutter. Most of the clutter is old mail that has been put in various "I'll deal with this later" stacks. In addition to the mountains of junk mail, healthcare notices, and bills, there are the Anton Bauer camera batteries that won't re-charge anymore, the large printer that still clogs every two days, and a leaking shower pan in the second bathroom. At least there is no water on the roof today.

I need to get back to the gym this weekend. It's been several weeks since I've had a serious workout and that's not good. Even though I'd rather sleep in late, eat a big mid-morning plate of waffles and bacon, and watch movies for the rest of the day, there are things that need to be done. Discipline can be a real bitch sometimes.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1878

Today was one of those days where I wish I was sitting in front of a roaring fire, sipping a cup of hot chocolate as I read a good book. It was miserable outside. The temperature hovered around thirty degrees as a light mist made everything seem even colder. Technically, the rain should have frozen, but luckily it didn't. Icy roads and Texas drivers aren't a good mix. I don't even attempt to go out when the roads ice over anymore. It is just too treacherous.

Writing jobs have started to trickle in again. I was beginning to think that everyone had forgotten about me, but maybe they were just reading the blog and knew I was in California. I think most people know better than to ask me to do two things at once anymore. I don't multitask well at all.

It was Dot's physical therapy day today. She seemed a little tired in the underwater treadmill and appeared to be tense during her acupuncture session. Maybe it was my fault. I was talking to the vet while she was receiving acupuncture and Dot is not really fond of me talking. Most of the time I spend with the dogs, I don't say much of anything. Why should I? It's just me and them. After years and years of spending our days like this, I think Dot sometimes gets alarmed when I talk. We have lots of non verbal communication, but talking just isn't normal. When neighbors stop me to chat on our walks, Dot often starts barking at them. I don't know what she's trying to say, but I suspect it's something like "Go away, he's mine and we've got walking to do."

The date for my dental surgery is drawing closer and closer. I'm dreading this surgery and still don't know how many teeth I'm going to be left with when it's over. I do have a bad cavity on the wisdom tooth that is going to be removed, but I don't understand why a dentist can't just put a filling in and leave the tooth alone. Three different, very reputable dentists have all told me that this is impossible, but it doesn't make sense to me. This tooth came in crooked and is partially impacted, but the root is still good. Why can't they just fill the cavity in this tooth like any other tooth?

It appears that I am not out of the woods yet with my video project. The sound is excellent. The images are well lit and very pretty. I followed the clients instructions exactly. Nevertheless, now that there is a finished product, the client sees new things she'd like to add and wants me to come back and re-shoot a large portion of the video later this month. No change in the budget unfortunately. Jeez, I'm not making much on this in the first place, so this doesn't appeal to me at all. So much for a long series of videos that will keep me busy for the rest of the year.  I'll finish this one, but I don't think I'll be doing any more. It's just too discouraging when people think that shooting a video is easy because they can do the same thing using their phone.

At least tomorrow is Friday. I will go enjoy a delicious breakfast at my favorite restaurant and as I sip my morning coffee, I suspect I will contemplate retirement a little more seriously than I have before.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1877

We passed another milestone today. Dash's oncologist told me that he won't need to see him again for another year. This is very good news. The lab work and x-rays that were done at the re-check painted a portrait of a very normal, healthy dog. For all effective purposes, Dot and Dash have both beat cancer.

In addition to putting the yearlong chemotherapy regime behind me, I think I managed to put yesterday's video woes behind me as well. I'm sure we're not really done yet, but at least I have a nice looking finished product to show my client tomorrow. Since this isn't a time sensitive project, there will almost certainly be further changes. Projects like these always expand to fill the time available. I'd be fine with this if budgets expanded in a similar fashion, but they never do.

I've always thought of myself as a prolific and productive person, but some of the people I met in California are putting me to shame. I'm already starting to see really well researched articles about the SMAP launch from other participants at the NASA event. Some have secured interviews on local radio and TV stations. Others have produced elaborate, full edited videos and posted them on YouTube. What have I done? Not much. I've mentioned a few things here, but these guys are running circles around me. It was a real honor to be included among the best and the brightest, but clearly I am neither the best, or the brightest. It appears that I am still just a guy who spends most of his time walking his dogs.

I noticed today that Dot wasn't interested in walking at all while Dash was at the cancer center. She is very competitive and seems determined to keep up with her younger companion. She kind of likes to boss Dash around too. I think this friendly rivalry is what keeps her going. Without Dash, she suddenly seems much older. There's a lesson in this. You really need someone to challenge you as you grow older. It's so easy to grow complacent and start making excuses. Dot had so much more energy on our evening walk after Dash had returned home. I need to take this to heart. I think I held my own pretty well with the young space enthusiasts in California. I should be able to do it here as well.

I hope my client approves the video tomorrow. I'm supposed to do at least five more of these things. If the first one goes well, doing more should be a piece of cake. If there are a lot of silly changes, I'm doomed. I don't deal well with silly changes. The thought of spending the entire Spring jumping thru hoops makes me want to crawl under a blanket and hide. Let's hope for the best though. The glass isn't always half empty.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1876

I don't know what possessed me to start editing video again. I learned to edit many years ago using a Media 100 editing system. This software has been obsolete for so long that no computers I currently use will even run it. I loved Media 100 and used it faithfully during my most prolific years as a producer. The company was bought and sold several times and eventually just disappeared. I was forced to turn to Final Cut Pro and learn a whole new way of editing. Just when I was getting good with Final Cut Pro, Apple abandoned it in favor of a whole new platform called Final Cut Pro X. You wouldn't think that adding an X at the end of the name would change much, but it changed everything. I hate Final Cut Pro X.

I still try to edit using the old version of Final Cut Pro, which hasn't been updated in years. When I'm in a hurry, I often find myself trying to use techniques that only work in Media 100. It's a sad case of old dogs and new tricks. To make matters worse, many of the keyboard shortcuts in Final Cut Pro 7.0 only work with an old style keyboard with a numeric keypad. I haven't used one of those large, wired keyboards in years. Nevertheless, I stumbled through the day, relearning tricks and techniques on the fly. By the end of the day, I had a rough cut put together that seemed to flow reasonably smoothly from beginning to end. Sadly, I could have finished three videos in the same amount of time ten years ago using a slower computer and some rather rudimentary editing software.

This is why I mostly stick to writing these days. As long as you continue to write frequently, your writing skills don't tend to become obsolete. Working with technology is another story entirely. I've got entire shelves in the office filled with perfectly good software that is no longer supported. There's nothing wrong with this software. It just just won't run, mostly because today's modern operating systems won't recognize it. The early versions of Microsoft Word and Photoshop were just fine by me. Ten versions later, they both have become huge bloated monsters that take a long time to load and require huge hard drives. Most of my other business software is the same way. I'm tired of re-learning how to edit video or code websites every three years, but you've really got no choice. Software companies don't want you to continue using the same applications for decades. They want to sell you something new and bigger, with even more features. Now, they don't even sell you the software. You just subscribe to it, so they can keep changing things on a weekly basis.

I had plans to get out today, but they never materialized. There were so many false starts in my editing project that I only had time to walk the dogs and go to the bank. It wasn't a bad day. There were no looming deadlines and nobody was screaming at me. I just sat quietly at my desk wishing I had a time machine. Frustration was definitely the word of the day. Talk to me in a week and I'm sure I'll be up to speed on Final Cut Pro again. Maybe I'll have to buy a numeric keypad, or maybe I already have one in the storage warehouse somewhere. The video will get done though, and it will be nice.

Dash goes back to the cancer center for his regular three month re-check tomorrow. There's a little growth on his tail that I want them to check. I don't think it is anything to worry about, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. After a full year of treatment, I'm not ready for any more surprises.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1875

Dash took his last Palladia pill today. He is officially finished with his chemotherapy treatment. Dash is scheduled for another three-month re-check with his oncologist on Wednesday, but I think we are finally done. We've been doing this chemo routine for so long now that it will seem weird not to don the purple rubber hazardous material gloves every few days to put his medication in a little dogfood meatball for him to eat right after his dinner. Dash seems very healthy now, and I hope he stays that way.

With cancer treatment behind us and last week's satellite launch fading to a fond memory, life has definitely returned to normal. I have re-entered the world of slow drains, toilets that run, impossible deadlines, and birds that poop on my car. To add insult to injury, the weather has returned to normal as well. Instead of yesterday's almost balmy 65 degree temperatures, we woke up to a very chilly 23 degree hard freeze. I don't know how it got so cold in just a few hours, but I didn't dwell on it. We all bundled up and got the day started with a brisk morning walk.

There was lots to do today. I started logging the video footage I shot last week so I can begin editing  soon. There were several website edits I need to make for clients, along with the inevitable pile of bills to pay. I tried to see if I could teach Quickbooks to automate some of these recurring payments, but my version of the software is out of date and doesn't seem to support EFT. It was easier to just write a check and take it to the post office than to figure out something new.

When I went to pick up prescriptions this afternoon, I stopped by the T-Mobile store to see if they knew why my little 4G hotspot didn't work while I was in California. They didn't. This handy gizmo used to be a lifesaver on business trips, but increasingly I find that the mobile hotspot is being blocked by many hotel WiFi systems. I probably don't even need the hotspot anymore, since so many phones offer tethered Internet access these days. I could probably save a lot of money if I could just systematically eliminate things like this that I no longer need. But what do you give up when you think you need everything? I could have actually used that mobile hotspot in California if it had worked.

I'll probably spend half a day editing tomorrow and the other half of the day trying to figure out why Final Cut Pro isn't working properly. I guess I could use Avid Media Composer instead, but I find that it's easier to relearn things I've forgotten when using Final Cut Pro. I used to be so fast using these software tools. Use it or lose it, they say. I've almost lost it. I guess the only thing I do every single day now is write this blog. If I ever forget how to do this, I'm doomed.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1874 - Superbowl Sunday

So, we're eating dinner and watching the big game and the power goes out. What? It was a clear, pretty day with no weather issues at all, so this was a big surprise. I'm pretty sure I know what happened. The power service to our neighborhood is so pitiful that it just wasn't up to the challenge of everybody cooking dinner and watching TV at the same time. I went out to the back to make sure that we hadn't just thrown a breaker switch somehow. All my neighbors were doing the same thing. Who would have thought the power would go out on Superbowl Sunday right in the middle of the game? I'll have to give the power company credit though. They restored power in less than an hour, which is record breaking time for them. I bet they got a lot of angry calls.

They must have aired all the good commercials while our power was out because I certainly didn't see any. The commercials this year were even worse than last year's lackluster showing and last year was pretty bad. Nobody seems to have a sense of humor anymore. The half time show seemed more like a Fourth of July fireworks show than a concert. I'm sure that Katy Perry got rave reviews from her fan base, but this Superbowl performance didn't hold a candle to Michael Jackson and Prince in my somewhat long-in-the-tooth opinion. The only thing I did like about this year's Superbowl was the game itself. It was a great game, although I still can't believe that the Seahawks didn't win. They had so many chances to put this thing away and they still managed to lose.

Earlier in the day, I went to the legendary Superbowl sale at my favorite clothing store. The last thing I need are more clothes, but I came home with a shirt and a nice pair of shoes anyway. The store was really crowded today. There's something about 75% off that seems to attract people. I can't say that I understand my attraction to nice clothes, since I seldom wear them. I walk the dogs in my oldest, most comfortable jeans and some well worn hiking boots. The jacket I wear on cold days is probably fifteen years old and I could run my business in my underwear, since I seldom leave the house. If there's ever an occasion to dress up though, I'm prepared.

Today was a good day to get the water off the roof, since it was clear and sunny. There was an enormous amount of standing water, but it's all gone now. I didn't make it to the gym this week at all, but my water removal gymnastics should count as a pretty good workout. I ought to make a workout video. Pushing hundreds of pounds of water off the roof with a push broom is really hard work.

After breakfast this morning, I reviewed the pictures I shot yesterday, made my picks, and burned everything to a DVD. I hope everyone likes the pictures, because it would be hard to recreate them now. I'm glad to have this job behind me, even though it was interesting and kind of fun. Now it's time to start editing the video I shot just before leaving for Vandenberg Air Force Base.

I miss the small, very talented, group of space geeks I met in California. I'm sure there are a few folks like this in Dallas, but I certainly haven't met them.

Myles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1873

Today's photo shoot went well. I think everybody involved was very happy with the results. In a couple of weeks or so, these images will be featured on thousands of posters and postcards. The young puppies and kittens I photographed were surprisingly well behaved. Nobody tried to chew the leather saddle. Nobody peed on the backdrop. And nobody chased the cat. The little kitten was fearless and clearly wasn't intimidated by dogs. Doing a photo shoot with puppies is always a dicey proposition. The won't stay in one place more than two seconds and seem to pee every five minutes. To even attempt something like this, you need a wrangler for each animal. The small cowboy hats were constantly falling off and needed to continually be repositioned. Puppies and kittens get tired quickly too, so there is always an optimal moment between crazy exuberance and deep sleep were you get your best pictures. All in all, I think I did pretty well today.

The SMAP spacecraft had a successful launch this morning. The four or five people from our group who had flexible enough schedules to stay in the area for the launch all said it was spectacular. I wish I could have been there too. I did get up early and watch the launch on TV and everything seemed to go perfectly. The network news channels only showed a few seconds of the launch, but NASA TV broadcast the whole thing live for over an hour. I was mesmerized. I don't think I'll ever look at those short clips of satellite launches on the evening new the same way again. Now, when I see a rocket go up, I'll be thinking of the hundreds and hundreds of people that it took to get it off the launch pad.

The animal rescue community is all abuzz about the new GoDaddy commercial depicting a puppy who falls off the breeder's truck, gets lost, and eventually finds his way home, only to discover he's been sold. It didn't take long for rescue advocates to get this spot pulled. I saw the commercial and agree that this definitely looks like a puppy mill breeder. A responsible breeder would never ship a bunch of puppies of in a truck and wouldn't sell them online either. Many rescue advocates think all breeders are evil and that you should always get your dog from a shelter. I've been involved in animal rescue for many, many years and I don't necessarily agree with this position. Responsible breeders are wonderful people who understand their dogs, keep them healthy, and always find them great homes. It's easier to buy a house than it is to purchase a dog from a very good breeder. They are very particular about who gets their pups. Dot and Dash were both rescued from shelters, but we've gotten dogs from breeders as well. If your have your heart set on a particular breed, there is nothing wrong with getting your dog from a good breeder. Puppy mill breeders are cruel to their animals and should be eliminated, but responsible breeders should be your friend. They are actually some of the biggest supporters of rescue efforts. Nothing is black or white, except Dalmatians of course. I hate to see issues like these polarize people.

I don't know who to root for at tomorrow's Superbowl game. Neither the Seahawks or the Patriots are teams that I'm particularly fond of. If Dallas couldn't be in the Superbowl, I'd much rather root for Green Bay or Pittsburgh. I'll watch the game and eat more than I should like everybody else, but what I'm really interested in is the Culwell and Son Superbowl sale. These guys were a client of mine for many years and once a year they mark everything down up to 75% off for just a few hours on Superbowl Sunday. Since it's the only time I can actually afford these expensive clothes, I never miss this sale.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1872

It's Friday and I'm back in Dallas. I'm not much of a traveler, but when you do get me out of town, I always hate to come back. My Friday breakfast outing didn't seem so special today. Since my memory is like a sieve, I quickly forget all my responsibilities when I'm away and learn to enjoy living on the road. It's kind of nice having a maid make your bed everyday and clean up after you. Eating out in strange new cities is usually an interesting change of pace from my usual fare as well. I never listen to the news when I travel and seldom use my phone. It's kind of peaceful staying in a nice hotel. The only thing that would make the experience better would be if the credit card bills went to someone else.

Even though I enjoyed my trip, I'm glad that I didn't end up staying in California another day. The launch didn't happen this morning after all. It ended up getting postponed until Saturday morning and some of the people who ended up going to a lot of trouble getting their airline reservations changed, just so they could come back to the viewing site on Friday, still won't be able to see the launch. When the launch was scrubbed yesterday, one of the NASA folks standing next to me said, "This is what NASA is like. It teaches you patience."

I do have the patience, but I also had other things to do. I have a big photo shoot tomorrow and there isn't that much time to get ready. I spent the morning unpacking from the trip to California and the afternoon gathering my gear together for tomorrow. Our house is so small that I can never keep everything in one place. Backdrops and props I don't use very much often get lost in the storage warehouse when I throw other stuff on top of them. As most of you know, I'm pretty forgetful too. When I was in California, two people retrieved my reading glasses for me after I'd inadvertently left them someplace. The rental car agent had to remind me that I'd left my laptop on the counter. When I went to return the rent car on my way out of town, I couldn't find the car keys. I was just about ready to go back to the hotel and ask them if they let me back in the room again to search for the keys when I eventually found them in a jacket pocket. The reason I thought I'd lost the keys was that I always keep car keys in my left front pants pocket. Lord know how they got in the jacket pocket, but I never thought to look there.

I spent quite a while today answering the messages that had accumulated during my trip. There was nothing as urgent as the voicemail messages made it seem. In fact, there was nothing urgent at all. I could have easily gone another week without checking my voicemail and the world wouldn't have come to an end. I'm convinced that some people like a crisis. If there isn't a handy crisis available, they will invent one. It isn't just clients that like a crisis either. My bank seemed worried that I hadn't picked up my new checks yet. Jeez, I still have some of the old checks left. Why would I need the new ones now?

Whenever I fly, I'm struck by the fact that much of the country is still completely empty. Everybody is crammed into a few crowded cities surrounded by thousands of miles of nothing. Why do we even need these cities anymore. As soon as Elon Musk gets his network of cheap internet satellites launched and Amazon perfects it's drone delivery service, we could all live in the middle of nowhere without giving up much at all. More and more corporate people are working out of their homes already and GoToMeeting software has almost completely replaced sitting around a conference table. I'd love to live in an isolated area like the countryside around Vandenberg, as long as I had good broadband service and FedEx delivery. A helicopter to take the dogs to the vet would be nice too.

Malcolm is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1871

Today was another big adventure. I left the hotel around 4 AM this morning to look for the illusive viewing site where we were all going to watch the launch. I had the longitude and latitude of the site, which I was able to enter into the map app on my phone, but that was all. The GPS in the car was useless, because the back roads that led to a weather station on top of a small mountain near the air base weren't even listed. Most of these roads were just used for fire safety. Did I mention it was pitch black. As I was driving up the mountain, I eventually saw a few people wandering around in the dark with flashlights, so I stopped the car and joined them. We came to a clearing in the trees and off in the distance to the West was the rocket, bathed in the light from some incredibly bright spotlights. We were about three miles away from the tower, which was as close as anyone was allowed to go. There was a guy with a Mohawk haircut just ahead of our small group who seemed to know where he was going. One of us asked him where the viewing location was and he didn't know either. I knew who he was though. This guy was Bobak Ferdowsi, NASA's famous Mohawk guy from the Mars Curiosity landing. You never know who you're going to run into in the dark. We could all see the rocket quite well from where we were standing, but everyone wanted to find the "official" viewing site, because NASA had promised an audio feed of the countdown that everyone could listen to on speakers.

Looking at the longitude and latitude mark on my iPhone map and comparing it with my own position, it seemed that the site was further up the mountain. We walked uphill for about half a mile and there it was. There were some small concrete bleachers and a growing crowd of people. Even the mayor of one of the nearby towns was there. For some reason the entire Grand Jury for the city of Santa Barbara was there as well. By the time the launch was about thirty minutes away, there were close to two hundred people on the mountain with us.

Everything looked perfect. The sky was clear and full of stars. I've never seen this many stars in Dallas. The city glare is just too bright. As the countdown progressed, we heard one person after another give mission control a go on their area of responsibility. Mission Control said that there was over a 90% chance that the launch would take place at 6:20 AM. The only problem were reports of high winds in the upper atmosphere. The winds would come and go, so they sent up a final weather balloon to get a reading with about five minutes left on the count.  The telemetry came back indicating that there were 70 mph winds in the upper atmosphere. This was considered dangerous and the launch was scrubbed at T-minus 4 minutes and counting.

There was only a three minute window to achieve the proper polar orbit, so the launch was rescheduled for Friday. Everyone was so disappointed. Some were able to change their schedules and stay another day. Others, like myself, had their chances of seeing the launch scrubbed as well. There are only two flights a day in very small prop planes to the town I flew to on Tuesday. I didn't want to fly standby and there were connecting flights in Los Angeles to deal with as well. It proved too difficult and way too expensive to change plans on such short notice, so I am back in Dallas now. There are no guarantees that the launch will take place tomorrow either. It might get scrubbed over and over again until the conditions are perfect. It took an entire year to get the spacecraft ready, so I don't think they're in any hurry to launch it when something isn't right.

I'm sorry I missed the launch, but I'm definitely not sorry I went to Vandenberg. This is the most fun I've had in quite a while. You guys keep on watching the NFL and the MBA. I want to watch the Space-X Dragon launch when it is certified for manned flight a few years from now.  I think I'm officially a space geek now.

Spirit is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1870

Today was amazing! I got to go inside the ultra high security mission control building at Vandenberg. We visited the tower where the SMAP satellite will be launched early tomorrow morning. We saw the world's last remaining ICBM from the early days of the cold war. There were rockets everywhere. We were even on a live broadcast on the NASA TV channel. Oh, and I capped the day off by wrecking my rent car.

It was only a fender bender, but since it happened near a big Air Force base, three Air Force fire trucks and two MP's came to the scene. The Air Force guys quickly left when they discovered that nobody was hurt,  but I still had to wait on the side of the road for over half and hour for the California Highway patrol to show up. I knew I was going to miss the roll out of the rocket from the tower, but I didn't want to be charged for leaving the scene of an accident. In Texas, people just trade insurance information on minor accidents and go about their business. The other driver wanted to wait for the police though. When the highway patrol finally did show up, the first thing they asked was why we didn't just trade insurance information and leave. You could tell that they thought the whole thing was a waste of their time. Later I learned that the roll out had been delayed and that the other people attending the launch didn't get to see anything either.

The press conference for the launch was broadcast live on NASA TV. Janet said she saw me ask my one question on TV and that I didn't look like a dork. That's always good to know. I usually look like a dork. I learned a lot today. I never knew that there was a launch facility for the space shuttle at Vandenberg. At one point they were planing to launch the shuttle into polar orbit. The huge facility was finished about the same time the space shuttle program was canceled. It was never used. I never knew that at the beginning of the cold war, the USA only had three nuclear missiles and that they was all based at Vandenberg.

The rocket is scheduled to launch very early tomorrow morning. There is only a three minute launch window on Thursday, since it will be launched into a polar orbit. This means that if the launch is delayed at all, it can't be rescheduled until the next day. Hopefully, everything will go like clockwork. If the launch gets postponed, I'll have to return home without seeing it.

I met a lot of people today that worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Goddard Space Flight Center, or directly with NASA. I even met someone who had been accepted into the Mars One program. Every one of them seemed to really love their job. If you gathered a similar group of advertising people together, I doubt that you'd find anyone who genuinely loved their job.  I think I'll never look at "rocket science" the same way again. These people were amazing! We need a lot more of them.

At one point during the day, we had to leave all our phones, cameras, and computers on the bus while we visited a secret location. "Don't worry, your stuff is safe here," said an Air Force Sargent. I imagine it was. The is the most secure facility I've ever been to in my life. It was quite an experience to be allowed to see behind the curtain.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1869

I made it. It was a long travel day, especially considering I was just going to California. I flew from Dallas to Los Angeles, changed planes and then took a little prop plane up to Santa Maria. Santa Maria looked pretty close to Vandenberg Air Force Base on a map, but I discovered that it wasn't that close when I actually got there. As it turned out, Santa Maria was only about fifteen miles from the North entrance to the huge base, but I needed to go to the South entrance. I could have taken a short cut directly through the base to the South entrance, but I didn't have my credentials yet, so I had to take a long circuitous route around the perimeter instead. I'd probably still be driving around aimlessly, if I didn't have GPS in the rental car. I'm certainly glad I didn't decide to drive up Highway 1 from Los Angeles. I was considering doing this at some point, but wisely reconsidered when I remembered what rush hour traffic was like in California.

I was surprised at how pretty the countryside is in this part of California. There are lots of rolling, green hills dotted with what looked like small Live Oak trees. I was expecting urban sprawl, but this is a lot closer to wilderness. As I approached the base, the terrain flattened and the hills turned to farmland. The soil must be good here, because all the crops looked lush and green. It was weird to see crops growing in January. There was almost no signage on the farm roads that led to the base. Without the GPS in the car and some very explicit directions, I doubt that I would have ever found the elusive South entrance to Vandenberg.

Today's visit to the base was just a dry run. I have to get up very early to check in at the South gate tomorrow morning. This is where I pick up my credentials and join the other media mavens who will be attending the launch. If I'm late, they'll just leave without me. That's why if you have to get lost, it is a lot better to do it today than tomorrow.

I was hoping to have dinner with some of the others attending the SMAP launch this evening, but after driving around endlessly trying to find the correct entrance to the base, I didn't have the energy. I drove back to the hotel in Santa Maria, ate some dinner, and tried to get the WiFi to work instead. I brought a little WiFi hotspot with me, but the hotel seems to block it. It works when I'm driving around, but as soon as I get to my room, it quits.

I think I'm going to be on NASA TV sometime tomorrow, but I doubt if you'll see it. Very few cable companies carry this odd little channel. Tomorrow will be a bucket list kind of day. I'll get to see the rocket up close, talk to the scientists who designed the SMAP mission, and visit all sorts of interesting restricted areas on the base. I think the whole idea is that we're supposed to live Tweet about our experiences. You can't really say much in 140 characters though, so if you really want to know what happened, you'll have to read tomorrow's blog.

I thought I'd forget a lot of things on this trip, but so far all I seem to have forgotten are spare batteries for my wireless mouse and the password for my mobile hotspot. I thought the password was already loaded on my laptop keychain, but apparently it isn't. Oh well, I can always use my phone until the battery runs out. Oops. I forgot the little charger that fits into the car's cigarette lighter too.

I'm tired, but I feel like the day was a success. If you're reading this, it means I've figured out a way to get online. I just put in an early wake-up call at the hotel and I'm looking forward to meeting my fellow space bloggers just before sunrise at the Vandenberg South Gate.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1868

I'm glad I don't live on the East Coast right now. Blizzard conditions have closed all the airports, making travel to Vandenberg Air Force Base impossible for a couple of people from New York and Boston who were planning on attending the SMAP launch this week. The weather is much better in Dallas, so my only problem will be getting up at 4 AM to go to the airport.

I'm a terrible travel planner, but I knew if I didn't get started today, I would run out of time. I always run into something unexpected when I'm packing. Today, I couldn't find a small tube of toothpaste that the TSA wouldn't confiscate. I couldn't get my laptop to boot up either. It turns out that I forgot to power the computer down several weeks ago and the battery ran out while the computer was still on. When I got this issue resolved, I had trouble setting the second time zone on a radio controlled watch I was planning to wear on the trip. The watch is supposed to set itself using a radio time signal, but somehow I screwed up and ended up with the dial showing the time in London. I probably should take a simpler watch with me. I packed some socks and then noticed that most of them had holes in them. I still can't figure out how to get the WiFi feature working on my new little point and shoot camera. If I can get the WiFi working, I'll be able to send pictures directly from the camera to Facebook and Twitter. Travel never used to involve so much technology. My boarding pass is on my phone. I sure hope this works, because sometimes it doesn't.

One way or another, everything will get done. It always does. I got all my meds packed away in one of those plastic pill containers that old people use. Oh wait, I am one of those old people. I super-glued my comfortable tennis shoes back together and packed a second nicer pair of shoes just in case I decide not to embarrass myself. I still don't know what kind of coat to take. I never get coats right and am always either too hot or too cold.

I did manage to get the camera equipment from yesterday's video shoot put away, but I haven't finished all of my website updates yet. I've got one more to go, which I should be able to finish before bedtime. I thought I'd be able to get caught up on things with time to spare, but I never dreamed that I'd waste an entire hour trying to set a weird Japanese watch and another hour simply trying to turn on my laptop. You might be wondering why I didn't finish my work first. I guess it was a matter of priorities. I'm always confident about meeting my work deadlines. Not so much with technology. Inexplicable software glitches, poorly written instructions, and the occasional catastrophic failure all drive me nuts. I depend on my high-tech tools, but I often hate them as well.

The dogs loved today's unseasonably warm weather. We took a long walk before breakfast and another toward the end of the day. In between, Dot and Dash sunned themselves in the back yard while I struggled to get organized. I wish I didn't wait until the last minute with everything I do, but it's in my blood. I've always been this way. Perhaps it's for the best. If I knew what I was doing ahead of time, I'd probably just worry more.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1867

I think the video I shot today will be a success. The sound was good. Exposure was good. Everything was in focus. What's not to like? My new LED lights performed a lot better than the old quartz variety. I was pleased with the wireless mics too. I'll have to use this stuff more often. Considering how I was dreading this shoot, it couldn't have gone better. Most importantly, I didn't break anything.

Video production seemed a lot easier when I shot with a full crew. Back in the day, I never had to transport, configure, and set up all this heavy equipment myself. With today's budgets, doing as much as you can yourself is a necessity. Maybe the Miller tripod and Century Stands were always this heavy, but I don't remember struggling with them like I did today. Clearly, Carpal tunnel, a bad shoulder, and arthritis have taken their toll on my aching bones.

I never did find time to do a practice run through before I loaded the car this morning. Necessity is always the mother of invention and I figured out the last remaining equipment mysteries on the set. I need to buy a bigger camera case so I can leave the rails and matte box permanently on the camera. Assembling this gear and attaching everything to the camera and tripod can eat up a lot of time. When I can afford it, I'm going to get more wireless mics too. Wireless mics are great. I don't know how I lived so many years without them.

Although the video shoot used up most of the day, we still had a nice long walk with the dogs this morning. Janet was looking out for me and fixed bacon and eggs for breakfast, along with Cowboy Burgers for dinner. If you've never had Cowboy Burgers, you need to pick some up at Central Market sometime. These are without a doubt the best hamburger patties in the universe.

It will take a while to edit the footage I shot today into something coherent, but I think the material is there. Now it's time to turn my attention to the upcoming SMAP launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base. I have no idea what to take or what to wear. I guess I need to start checking the weather in California. I have a feeling that it's going to be a lot warmer out there than it is here.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I'll start logging and cataloging the footage I shot today. There are already a number of website updates I need to make as well. At least today's work is complete. It's always nice to know that I won't have to go back later and re-shoot everything.
 

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1866

The days just aren't long enough. After walking Dot and Dash this morning, I went up to Lewisville to photograph the new arrivals to the Dalmatian Rescue program. We've accepted quite a few new dogs recently and they all need to get up on the website. Gretchen was supposed to be aggressive toward men and I was a little worried about getting bitten. She turned out to be very sweet and I had no problems getting a cute picture. Charlie was one of the most nervous dogs I have ever seen. This handsome one year old pup was surrendered during a messy divorce and had probably spent his entire life listening to people yell at each other. No wonder he was wary of people. Elsa had probably been a breeding dog in a puppy mill and it was obvious she had been a mom far too many times during her young life. Her next home will be much, much better. Starr was another owner surrender, although I couldn't even imagine how someone could take this beautiful, sweet dog to the pound and dump her. We will make sure that all these dogs find a great home where they will get a second chance. It's still very sad though that they were so unlucky the first time around.

Photographing rescue dogs takes a lot of patience and the whole process took longer than I thought it would. By the time I returned home, there wasn't a lot of time left to go get groceries, fill the car with gas, and retrieve some additional equipment from the storage warehouse for tomorrow's photo shoot. The instruction manual for the production camera has been my bathroom reading for the past several days, but I'm still not completely comfortable with some of the more advanced features. I'm charging batteries now and I'm sure everything will work out fine. I only shoot a few of these videos a year now. When I shot and edited a video once a week, my confidence level was much higher. This is not really like riding a bicycle. You do tend to forget things.

I wanted to edit some of the Dalmatian pictures I had taken earlier in the day, but my own Dalmatians were insisting on dinner. I set up a pump on the roof to begin removing some of this week's accumulated water, fed the dogs, and we went on our evening walk. On weekends, I have to keep a watchful eye out for loose dogs in the park. On Saturday and Sunday there are always idiots who let their dogs off lease and you can never tell whether they are friendly or not until it is too late. I've learned from experience to avoid these dogs. If I see unleashed dogs up ahead, I immediately turn and go in a different direction.

It was almost dark before I climbed up on the roof again to finish removing all the water.  It was a very long day. I didn't even get around to taking a shower until after dinner.  I still haven't gotten around to testing the wireless microphones. Maybe I'll take a pair of wired lavaliers with me tomorrow just in case. I guess I've still got some time to test some things tomorrow morning, but I'd much rather sleep in late. I'm very tired.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1865

Have I mentioned that Janet retired at the first of the year? Since she's no longer working fourteen hours a day, we've been going to more movies. Today we saw American Sniper. I can understand why this movie has become a box office hit, but fail to grasp why it is so controversial in certain circles. This is a well made film in the tradition of Saving Private Ryan and Hurt Locker. I find it sad that we live in such a polarized society that everything from the car you drive, to the food you eat and the movies you watch is seen as a political statement. It's a movie! Get over it.

While waiting for the feature to start we sat through half an hour's worth of trailers for upcoming features. Each one was a more violent version of a movie I'd seen ten or fifteen years ago. There was a new Terminator movie, a new Mad Max movie, and a new movie by the director of District 9 that seemed exactly like District 9. Doesn't anybody like movies like Secretariat and Remains of the Day anymore? I'd rather see Old Yeller again than any of these apocalyptic blockbusters.

Dot worried me today. She fell on our morning walk and I had to help her up. She lost her footing when her rear foot landed on a loose rock and just fell over. I have to remember that even though her energy levels have improved and she acts like she wants to chase squirrels again, she is still pretty fragile. It's a tough job to let her feel like she's a young dog again while still carefully watching every single step she takes. Dot's OK now. I just need to remember where that loose rock is.

Dash is nearing the end of his chemotherapy treatment and now that there aren't many Palladia pills left in the bottle, I noticed that I was short by five pills. These pills are so expensive that you'd think that they could count them correctly. I called the cancer center and when they checked their records, they discovered that they were short a few pills when they renewed Dash's prescription three months ago, and just gave me the pills they had. I wish they had told me this at the time. At any rate, I went up to the cancer center to get the remaining five pills and then picked up some food for dinner at Central Market on the way home.

I only have one more day to familiarize myself with all the mysterious buttons on the production camera before my video shoot on Sunday. It's not like I have been consciously putting off this important dress rehearsal. I just keep running out of time. Walking the dogs, doing my physical therapy exercises everyday, meeting my work deadlines, getting the water off the roof, and even writing this blog takes a lot of time. Some days I take it all in stride. Other days, I get really tired.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1864

It was one of those days. Shortly after we woke up this morning, the power went out. The power grid is so bad in our part of town that a feather can knock the power out. It rained last night, but there was no real reason for a power outage. Usually, it's an ice storm or severe winds that knock the power out, but this time it was just a very rainy night. Without power, there is no hot coffee in the morning, no fried eggs for breakfast, no television, no furnace, no lights, and no e-mail. Miraculously, we still have hot water though, since the water heater is fueled by natural gas.

As soon as the rain let up a bit, we took the dogs on a walk. Even though it was quite cold outside, walking was better than waiting for the power to come back on in a dark and drafty house. Janet and I didn't see lights in any of the other houses, so it looked like the power was out in the entire neighborhood. When a power outage is widespread, we're usually the last to get electricity back. They restore areas near schools and hospitals first, and eventually get around to the people who aren't near anything special, like us.

Since I can't function without coffee in the morning, I drove to a nearby restaurant to get take-out. Eventually, the power was restored, but a big chunk of the day was wasted. Every time something like this happens, I wonder why we don't pay more attention to improving our power grid. Politicians are always talking about creating jobs and about the growing threat of cyber-terrorism. They could create tens of thousands of well paying jobs by making a commitment to refurbishing the country's power distribution network. Put all the lines underground. There is just no reason for the power system to be so fragile, especially in a world where you are dead in the water without electricity.

It was hard to get Dot out of bed to go to her therapy session today. I understood completely. I didn't feel like doing my stretching exercises either. We both persevered though, driving to the vet in the cold rain for her weekly conditioning session. Dot did well in the underwater treadmill, as she usually does, but as soon as we got home again she curled up on a warm blanket and went to sleep. On days like this I wish we had a fireplace. Today would have been a perfect day for sitting in front of a warm fire.

I'm so forgetful lately. I left my phone at the vet this afternoon and had to turn around on our way home to go back to retrieve it. I probably never would have remembered the phone if a warning light hadn't come on in the car, telling me that the phone was no longer paired with the Bluetooth connection. It's sad when my car has a better memory than I do. I almost forgot to take the trash out to the curb this evening too, but Dot always remembers when it's trash day.

I hope tomorrow seems like Friday. I usually look forward to Fridays, but all the days have seemed exactly the same this week. It's disorienting. Maybe a tasty meal at my favorite restaurant will get the compass pointed in the right direction again.

Raider is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1863

I'm going to miss going to physical therapy. It's nice having someone telling you what you are doing right and doing wrong. I don't need help with writing or taking photographs, but apparently I do need people to remind me not to destroy my body. It should be easy to continue on my own. I've got enough exercises now to last me for a year. Success is pretty easy to measure too. If I can move my shoulder more, I have succeeded. We'll see how it goes. They want to re-evaluate me this Summer. You can't cheat with physical therapy. Your progress is surprisingly easy to measure. The therapist actually takes a protractor and ruler and measures how much further I'm are able to move my arm. At any rate, I've got my marching orders. Hopefully, when I reconnect with these folks later this Summer, I won't shame myself by revealing my many lazy tendencies.

Our extended string of beautiful, warm days is sadly coming to an end. Our early morning walk was nice, but the temperature began to drop right after breakfast and conditions continued to deteriorate throughout the day. The dogs and I were both disappointed to get rained on this evening. It's been almost two weeks since we've been caught in the rain. It looks like I'd better get out some bath towels to dry the dogs off tomorrow morning and be prepared to clean the mud off my boots again. It's going to be wet.

The small group of bloggers and social media mavens I will be joining at Vandenberg Air Force Base seems like an interesting bunch. Some are coming to the launch from as far away as London and one guy is even flying his own small plane to the event. I think the only thing that ties us all together is an unabashed inner geekiness. Everyone I've heard from so far seems absolutely delighted to have an opportunity to get close to a rocket. As much as I hate to travel, I really think I'm going to enjoy this.

I've got a big video shoot coming up this weekend, so it's time to get out the instruction manuals again. I've gotten so used to shooting with GoPro's and automated consumer cameras that I've kind of forgotten what some of the dozens of cryptic buttons on my big production camera do. There is no auto-focus on most cinema lenses either, so I'd better practice the fine art of keeping things in perfect focus as well. If I shot as much video and film as I used to, none of this would be a problem. Unfortunately, the old adage use it or lose it still applies. I've got some work to do.

It's raining pretty hard now, but I hope the weather improves a bit before I take Dot to her physical therapy session tomorrow. Cold rainy weather makes Dot's arthritis act up and she doesn't do as well in the underwater treadmill on rainy days. The vet can warm up the water in the tank though, so maybe that will help. Nothing will help me until I see the sun again.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day