2022-01-11 02:53
Every 100 days I feel a little closer to my goal. Only 600 days left. As daily blog entries go, today was a good one. We met Jack this afternoon at the Dalmatian kennel. What a wonderful dog… Read More
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Some Assembly Required Blog
john-sealander.blogspot.com
Tags:
star tracker
camera
dawn
walk
store
dirty flame sensor
wide variety
christmas tree
janet
apple store
Take a day-by-day journey with writer/photographer John Sealander as he attempts to assemble something coherent out of the confusion around him.
2022-01-10 01:04
Another cold Winter day. If I could have slept all day, I would have. No rest for the weary though. We got up early, took Dawn on a sunrise walk and were relieved to see that her poop has al… Read More
2022-01-09 04:06
Success. I finally got the star tracker to work. The problem wasn't really buggy software or bad cables. The problem was me. After all these years I still haven't learned to use my iPhone. I… Read More
2022-01-08 03:36
Another day, another problem. This Polaris star tracker is driving me nuts. I don't think I'm cut out to be a Beta tester. The Polaris unit itself seems very well made. It's the software app… Read More
2022-01-07 03:25
I now have a camera that connects to the star tracker. It's almost identical to a camera I already have, but for some reason this one works. I'm not home free yet, but I'm getting closer. Th… Read More
2022-01-06 03:27
I didn't accomplish much today. The weather was warmer, but it still felt really cold on our morning walk with Dawn. Without a plan for the day, I just followed my regular routine. I make th… Read More
2022-01-05 03:38
I'm getting used to changing several times a day because of the rapidly changing temperatures. Our early morning walks with Dawn are very cold and I really have to bundle up. The later in th… Read More
2022-01-04 04:47
Thankfully it was a little warmer today. The day still started below freezing, but it warmed up quickly. I don't think Dawn likes the cold. She isn't quite as eager to take her walks on cold… Read More
2022-01-03 04:07
It was 18 degrees when we woke up this morning. There was a strong wind as well. Needless to say, we didn't take a sunrise walk. We ate breakfast and waited for it to warm up a little. I was… Read More
2022-01-02 03:00
Happy New Year. So far, the year seems to be off to a good start. We got up late, took Dawn on a pleasant walk, had a nice breakfast, and got started on a brand new year. I got an automated… Read More
2022-01-01 03:21
I'm going to have trouble staying awake until midnight. The older I get, the less of a night owl I become. It's hard to believe that I once played in a band where New Year's Eve always meant… Read More
2021-12-31 03:54
I'm struggling with this new piece of machinery I've got. I finally located an English language version of the instruction manual. At least I know what the various buttons and knobs do now… Read More
2021-12-30 02:59
We've basically had all four seasons in the span of a week. Today was warm, but it was rainy. I'm not accustomed to these huge day-to-day changes, so I didn't even check the weather before w… Read More
2021-12-29 03:33
I paid my property taxes today. I think that pretty much takes care of 2021 for me. I'm done. Maybe we'll stay up on Friday night and welcome the new year with a glass of champagne. Maybe no… Read More
2021-12-28 03:30
I finally got my package. It was 16 days late, but who's counting. The box looked a little worse for wear, but the contents didn't appear to be damaged. Truthfully, I never expected to see t… Read More
2021-12-27 02:56
I wasn't expecting it to be cold and foggy this morning since yesterday was the hottest Christmas on record. The weather has been hard to predict lately. Every day is something new. The den… Read More
2021-12-26 02:58
We had a nice day. We got up late and then took Dawn on a morning walk before breakfast. After our bacon and eggs, I watched the James Webb Space Telescope launch on the NASA livestream befo… Read More
2021-12-25 03:52
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. There were lots of people walking in the park today and many of them wished me a Merry Christmas. Traffic was lighter as well. If you haven't fin… Read More
2021-12-24 02:42
Thanks for nothing Fedex. My package still hasn't been delivered. When I didn't receive a message this morning saying that the package was on the truck for delivery, I called Fedex again to… Read More
2021-12-23 03:05
I got a call from Fedex today. The guy told me that they had found my lost package and that it would be out on the truck for delivery tomorrow. This was great news, but I am still a bit appr… Read More
2021-12-22 03:26
Today is the shortest day of the year. I can't wait for the days to get longer again. I've never been a fan of Winter, so I'll look forward to getting a little more daylight each day, even t… Read More
2021-12-21 03:13
It was raining when we woke up this morning, so we had to wait to walk Dawn. Janet went to the gym. I started the pumps on the roof, did a load of laundry and ate breakfast. Eventually the r… Read More
2021-12-20 03:39
24,000 steps today. My feet hurt, but it was a good day to walk. It was very cold this morning, but I have lots of warm coats. On our sunrise walk with Dawn this morning I wore two coats for… Read More
2021-12-19 03:58
The temperature keeps bouncing back and forth between Winter and Summer. Today it felt a lot like Winter. We took Dawn on a chilly sunrise walk, came home and ate a hearty breakfast, and the… Read More
2021-12-18 03:26
I give up. When I called FedEx this morning they basically just told me to get fucked and then hung up on me. The call center person I talked to was nice enough. It wasn't her fault that she… Read More
2021-12-17 03:28
It's feeling like Ground Hog Day again. Every day the same frustrations occur over and over. My feet continue to hurt despite wearing the special shoes that the orthopedic surgeon recommende… Read More
2021-12-16 03:07
My FedEx package still hasn't arrived. Actually I think it is even more lost than it was yesterday. After I initiated a trace on the package, I received a message saying that duplicate track… Read More
2021-12-15 04:39
FedEx is driving me crazy. I've been waiting for an important package since Saturday. After several delays the package was finally supposed to be delivered today. At 7:05 PM I received two s… Read More
2021-12-14 03:54
It was a normal Monday. We got up early, took Dawn on a sunrise walk, I ate my breakfast, and then took my own longer walk. The weather was a little warmer today so I didn't have to ch… Read More
2021-12-13 03:24
Santa has left the building. Another year of Santa Paws events is in the books. It's hard to believe that we used to do five or six of these events a year. We're all getting older now and tw… Read More
2021-12-12 04:34
It was a busy shopping day. I'm having to go to more stores now to find everything on my list. I don't think this has anything to do with Covid. Stores just aren't restocking items that don'… Read More
2021-12-11 04:46
The new TV arrived today. As expected, there were a few surprises. For starters I couldn't attach the TV to the stand I'd put together the other day. The wall mount screws included with the… Read More
2021-12-10 03:42
Dawn celebrated her ninth birthday today. Unlike many of our other dogs, this is her real birthday. Many rescue dogs celebrate their birthday on their gotcha day because it is impossible to… Read More
2021-12-09 03:24
Today was uneventful. I wanted to sleep longer this morning even though I got plenty of sleep. It was warmer when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk today. It was also very foggy. Construction… Read More
2021-12-08 03:50
I ordered some Christmas gifts on Amazon this morning and within a few seconds after placing my order everything connected with Amazon crashed. Amazon Prime deliveries, Disney+, and the Amaz… Read More
2021-12-07 03:59
We've got a new TV. Well, we don't actually have a new TV in our house yet, but we do have a receipt saying that we purchased one. Stores are weird now. Very few stores keep a lot of invento… Read More
2021-12-06 03:21
Our first Santa Paws event went well. It didn't seem like we had quite as many dogs this year, but there were still enough to keep us all very busy. All the dogs were very well behaved. Ther… Read More
2021-12-05 04:52
I saw the eagle again today. This makes the fourth time I've seen the bird. I don't think I'm very observant. Every time I've seen the eagle, someone else has pointed it out to me. The two b… Read More
2021-12-04 03:52
It was foggy and humid this morning. I'm always surprised at the weather when we wake up. It's never the same. We passed some neighbors walking their dogs when we were leaving the house with… Read More
2021-12-03 03:02
My eye exam was a pleasant surprise. I've been dreading this exam for weeks because last year my doctor told me that I would be needing cataract surgery soon. Well, it's not going to be this… Read More
2021-12-02 03:06
The television broke today. I hate it when stuff you take for granted breaks. Things like toilets, stoves, and televisions should never break. I started looking at new televisions and it see… Read More
2021-12-01 03:26
The Christmas tree is up. It is a small tree decorated with Dalmatian ornaments. We used to buy Dalmatian ornaments whenever we'd see them, but it's been a long while since there's been anyt… Read More
2021-11-30 03:01
The kennel was still full with holiday boarding dogs, so we didn't get to go see Charlie, Oliver, and Pepper today. We'll see everyone this Sunday though. That's when the first Santa Paws ph… Read More
2021-11-29 03:11
What a difference a day makes. Yesterdays gloomy weather was followed by clear blue skies today. It was a little chilly, but not too cold. Basically it was perfect walking weather. I always… Read More
2021-11-28 03:31
It was a damp, rainy day. Not a lot of surprises today. We managed to get Dawn walked this morning before the rain started. I had bacon and eggs for breakfast instead of my usual shredded wh… Read More
2021-11-27 03:11
It's beginning to feel a lot like Winter. The temperature was 36 degrees when I woke up this morning. I'm glad I brought the lawnmower battery inside yesterday. Freezing temperatures destroy… Read More
2021-11-26 03:29
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I wish all days were this relaxed. We got up late and had a nice early walk with Dawn. I ate a light breakfast and then went out walking again. I… Read More
2021-11-25 02:57
I called the restaurant today to confirm our Thanksgiving reservations for tomorrow. I didn't really need to do this, but I don't trust my own memory anymore. I am always checking things tha… Read More
2021-11-24 03:26
Very little happened today. I got up when I heard Dawn barking in the back yard. Dawn and Janet always get up earlier than me. I got dressed and we went on our sunrise walk. The weather was… Read More
2021-11-23 02:59
It appears that people have forgotten about John Kennedy. November 22 used to get a lot of news coverage, especially locally. Tons of people used to converge on Dealey Plaza on this day, eit… Read More
2021-11-22 04:03
Another Sunday with lots of walking. My feet held up fairly well today and my pace was back to normal. The weather seemed strange today. When we took Dawn on her sunrise walk it was warm and… Read More
2021-11-21 04:32
I keep hearing that the shelves are going to be empty this Christmas, but that doesn't seem to be the case around here. When I did my shopping this morning, the stores were full of Christmas… Read More
2021-11-20 04:27
I did end up seeing the eclipse last night. Yep, I had to pee. When I went outside, the sky was crystal clear and Orion and Sirius were high in the sky. The eclipse was as near totality as i… Read More
2021-11-19 03:44
The weather has changed again. It was really cold this morning. Northerners wouldn't consider today's temperature cold, but it was pretty chilly to me. I just can't handle cold anymore. I'm… Read More
2021-11-18 03:27
I think I've caught up on my to-do list. I've made my remaining medical appointments, paid my mid-month bills, and did some small chores around the house. There is a much longer list of thin… Read More
2021-11-17 04:43
I tried to repair a tear in the carpet with duct tape today. If that sounds just as pitiful as trying to repair body damage on a car with duct tape, it is. The tear was created years ago whe… Read More
2021-11-16 03:52
If you've seen one Monday post, you've probably seen them all. Monday's are always the same. That's not a bad thing though. We get everything out of the way in the morning, so we have the af… Read More
2021-11-15 04:04
I did a lot of walking today. We started with Dawn's sunrise walk. Even this early I could tell it was going to be a warmer day. Dawn is back to taking her short one mile loop. Any day now s… Read More
2021-11-14 03:54
Prices still seemed outrageous when I went shopping this morning. Inflation is real and I don't think it's going away any time soon. People will get used to the new prices and eventually the… Read More
2021-11-13 03:26
It's hard to dress properly for my walks at this time of year. It was really cold when I got up this morning. I ended up wearing long underwear and a sweater under my jacket on our sunrise w… Read More
2021-11-12 03:46
Everyone usually posts pictures of their parents on Veterans Day. I only have a single picture of my Dad in uniform. My Mom was in the Navy during World War II as well, but I don't have any… Read More
2021-11-11 03:42
When I was walking through the area where the eagles live this morning I was surprised to see a car flipped over on its roof on one of the small service roads that cut through the park. The… Read More
2021-11-10 04:32
Today was quiet and uneventful. I woke up to a pretty sunrise. We took Dawn on her early morning walk and then I came home and ate a bowl of shredded wheat. After breakfast I took my long wa… Read More
2021-11-09 03:54
It only took one day to adjust to the time change. It seems more natural to wait until it gets light to get out of bed. It get dark earlier, but now that I've adjusted the timers on the ligh… Read More
2021-11-08 04:22
I've been waiting for this day. It's daylight when we walk Dawn in the morning again. I've never really understood the time change anyway. Noon should always be when the sun is at it's highe… Read More
2021-11-07 03:34
I was surprised at how much prices had gone up when I went grocery shopping this morning. Janet had warned me that things would be more expensive, but this was fairly spectacular. A two poun… Read More
2021-11-06 01:56
It was pretty clear that I really did need a new battery when I tried to start the car this morning. Luckily, I was successful and the engine eventually roared into life. I drove to the new… Read More
2021-11-05 02:43
I can now cross one more medical exam off my list. I saw the urologist today and got a good report. I don't have to see him again for another year. Sometimes I can't decide whether routine y… Read More
2021-11-04 03:01
What a cold, rainy day. I didn't even want to get out of bed this morning. Neither did Dawn. It was 10 AM before I could even get her to go outside and pee. It rained quite a bit during the… Read More
2021-11-03 01:37
Well, I've got two more medical procedures behind me now. I think everything went well. My upper GI endoscopy has the longest name imaginable. Technically the procedure is called a esophagog… Read More
2021-11-02 00:55
Today started normally and ended weird. We took Dawn on her sunrise walk and then I had a bowl of green Jello for breakfast. The Jello was delicious compared to the Colonoscopy prep medicati… Read More
2021-11-01 02:47
There were more tricks than treats today. I started the day with a Covid test. This is a new requirement before you enter the hospital for anything these days. I assume that my test will be… Read More
2021-10-31 03:13
Every time I go shopping, the world seems a little more dysfunctional. The stores are far from empty, but I'm having a harder time finding what I need. I used to find everything in one store… Read More
2021-10-30 02:53
I ran a bunch of small errands today. I picked up the prescriptions my doctor called in when I had my physical exam a few days ago. My prescriptions always get renewed whenever I have an exa… Read More
2021-10-29 03:01
Dawn got a bath today. I'm sure she thought we were going for ice cream when she hopped in the car. She certainly seemed disappointed when we arrived at the self-bathe place instead. I don't… Read More
2021-10-28 02:22
I now have a flu shot in one arm and a covid booster in the other. The rest of my exam this morning was fairly routine. The doctor always asks what medications I am taking, even though he wa… Read More
2021-10-27 02:18
Not a lot happened today. I wrote a letter to my sister and took it to the post office. I went to Home Depot and got a new plunger to replace the one I broke trying to clean out a slow drain… Read More
2021-10-26 02:26
We definitely made the right decision when we adopted Dawn. Younger Dalmatians have way too much energy for us these days. Charlie, Oliver, and Pepper are fun to play with when we visit them… Read More
2021-10-25 01:52
I did a lot of walking today but my Fitbit showed no more steps than a normal day. Either I'm imagining things or something is wrong with the Fitbit. I guess it shouldn't matter. It was a ni… Read More
2021-10-24 03:50
I got the grocery shopping done early this morning to avoid the crowds. I wish I'd discovered this plan a long time ago because it works like a charm. Nobody appears to want to do their shop… Read More
2021-10-23 02:13
I saw an eagle on my walk this morning. I'd heard that there was a new nesting pair of bald eagles in the neighborhood, but this was the first time I'd seen one of them. I see eagles frequen… Read More
2021-10-22 02:50
No pain meds today. I was able to complete my regular six mile walk without much of a problem. I think I will always have some foot pain. I walk a lot and there isn't a lot of cartilage left… Read More
2021-10-21 02:29
I finally discovered what all the commotion on our street was about yesterday. There was a carjacking with police in pursuit of the stolen car. The guy was driving on the wrong side of the r… Read More
2021-10-20 02:25
What a beautiful sunrise this morning. The days keep getting shorter, so we'll continue to start our walks with Dawn just before dawn, at least until the time changes in early November. I ho… Read More
2021-10-19 03:18
It was a pleasant, very normal Monday. I walked and visited the Dalmatians. That was about it. It became clear this morning that the reason I felt better yesterday was largely due to the Tyl… Read More
2021-10-18 03:04
It was a quiet day. We took Dawn on her sunrise walk before Janet left for the golf tournament. My foot still hurt, but it was a lot better than yesterday. I must be doing something right. D… Read More
2021-10-17 03:39
I woke up this morning with terrible foot pain. What have I done? This was the right foot which had never given me problems before. It was the left foot that I went to see the foot doctor ab… Read More
2021-10-16 02:19
I recorded my slowest walk ever today. My pace was a full six minutes per mile slower than a normal day. Sadly, I was never that fast to begin with. The main reason I was so slow was that my… Read More
2021-10-15 02:19
The rain appears to be over for a while. I'm glad because we did get a small roof leak last night. This wasn't in the living room where it usually leaks. It was in the office. Water was drip… Read More
2021-10-14 02:58
It's been raining off and on all day. It's actually raining right now. Not my favorite kind of day, but what are you going to do? I guess we need the rain. I just don't like it. The showers… Read More
2021-10-13 02:10
I spent the day trying to stay ahead of the rain which still hasn't arrived. They say it's supposed to rain later this evening. I don't know why I put so much faith in weather forecasts beca… Read More
2021-10-12 02:59
Last night's big storm didn't really amount to much. We got a lot of rain, but it was all over in less than an hour. It was pretty quiet at our house even though some people might have… Read More
2021-10-11 02:57
Sunday is all about walking and eating. Janet fixes a big dinner and I spend most of the day walking. I should be fixing things around the house but almost everything that needs attention is… Read More
2021-10-10 02:45
It's unreal how quickly prices are going up. I essentially get the same things week after week and the price of everything I buy is higher than it was even a few weeks ago. I can understand… Read More
2021-10-09 02:38
I discovered more dead ants this morning. It's not strange to see ants, but I can't recall seeing large piles of dead ones before. Luckily, most of the ants are outside, but they do seem to… Read More
2021-10-08 02:24
Dawn surprised us this morning. She walked twice as far as she usually does on her sunrise walk and had lots of energy the entire way. Of course she slept for the rest of the day, but you ne… Read More
2021-10-07 02:12
Not a lot happened today. I slowly and methodically went through my daily routine, but I was still left with a lot of time on my hands. I should use days like these to do something significa… Read More
2021-10-06 02:45
It's always interesting to go to a new doctor. I think this one is a keeper. The doctor I talked with today was the same one who removed the stones from my bile duct while I was hospitalized… Read More
2021-10-05 02:58
Charlie and Oliver were in good spirits today. These two have so much energy. Our own dogs never played with toys that much, but Charlie and Oliver will chase a ball all day. You can tell th… Read More
2021-10-04 02:51
Today was beautiful. It's hard to complain about clear blue skies and cooler temperatures. Dawn was ready for a walk as soon as we woke up this morning. She doesn't really approve of sleepin… Read More
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