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I rose again with a headache at about 7. I had coffee waiting this time. Some days, when I go to write the blog, it’s like a movie running in my head and easy to recall, and some days it’s not. Saturday is a misty and dreamy image for me this Sunday morning as I write this.

While I sat in my office drinking liberal fair trade coffee from the local Equal Exchange Brand warehouse, I wrote and saw my neighbors two houses over removing two tall trees. One with leaves and the other a pine. I understand folks are worried they will fall and the leaves and needles make a mess, but I have tried to remove only dying trees. Now, as I write this on Sunday morning, the sky is visible where the trees once stood, and the view is slightly disturbing. I feel like something is missing, and I keep looking. I have some of the tallest trees on my lawn in the area. Nothing I expected to happen.

I talk to Deborah a few times, and we text. I see that we are at the end of the month, and I have updated the balance for my IRA in Quicken, which combines all my IRAs and 401 (k)s. I read my emails, updated Quicken, and wrote.

I had started a Word document with the link to some open-source tools for Artificial Intelligence (AI), and I used that link to return to the documentation for these tools. Some of it is a how-to guide with code that can be run in a Jupyter Notebook (a type of live Python environment that allows you to mix text with code to create a record of the work — essentially, super-commented code that others can run and interact with). I decided to head to McMenamin’s Cornelius Pass RoadHouse for lunch, a beer, and to read this stuff in detail. I, like many others, find it easier to study at coffee shops, bars, and libraries than at home. There are just too many distractions at home.

I boarded Air VW the Gray and was soon delivered to Umbre Hall, where I sat at the bar. Lacy was my bartender, and soon, a 1983 Lager was before me, deciding it was not a bad year to name a beer after. Its flavor was terrific. I had a Greek-style salad (extra cheese and no meat), which went well with the sklean details I was reading. I was relearning what I knew about AI classification solutions. I was surprised to see the boost solutions now covered in detail (with some new types). They were newer when I started in Python AI before the pandemic; this treatment covered their use and compared them to my favorite tool, Random Forest of Trees (RF). There were detailed comparisons and exploration of various parameters, and the options for the newer items could handle more complex data challenges. All interesting.

The light from laptops eventually gives me a headache. I use a Kindle for reading to eliminate the extra light and prevent headaches. I usually have my Apple set to 50% brightness as it is. For coding, the black backgrounds in the editors help mitigate some of the eye strain issues. The bright and colorful sklean website left me thinking and needing a break.

I did order dessert after the salad. They have a lovely lemon cake with berries on the side. It also has an orchid flower that I left for Lacy. I also discovered some tree spinners (not sure what they are called) that had fallen on the EV, and she liked getting that, too. Signs of summer. Not another beer, but coffee went with the dessert, and coffee after beer keeps me awake while still enjoying the relaxing effects of a beer.

I took Air VW the Gray to Portland and Lucky Labrador off of Hawthorne Boulevard, and enjoyed Highway 26, which resembled a parking lot for thirty minutes. I finally reached the exit across the river and soon parked, happy to have secured a spot in the Lucy Labrador lot and to have a locally made pilsner beer and a bowl of peanuts. I spent the afternoon relearning Jupyter Notebook and how to install it in Microsoft Visual Studio. I found some instructions on the Internet and managed to get the tool to run a Jupyter Notebook file. The Python, which was installed in the virtual environment, did not update with sklearn‘s add-ons or any other items. I eventually learned what the Linux-based install command PIP ‘–Isolated’ option was for and used it. I was able to update the isolated Python for the environment. After that, I was able to run the example code on my Apple.

It was now hours later, and I had a game at 6 at Richard’s house. I got a sandwich, just a grilled cheese, while I ran the notebook now. I packed up, paid my bill, and headed to Richards. Laura and Richard were finishing a game of Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon. The board game was the choice for today: a new game, available with some upgrades from the publisher. It lasts about two hours and was a pleasure to learn and play. I scored last with Laura, thirty points ahead of me and Richard lapping me. It plays fast and turns are not complex, but the strategy is difficult–my favorite type of game. At the moment, it sold out, but I am not in a rush.

After the game, we chatted for a while, and then I took Air VW the Gray home and soon reached the house without issue. The Oregonian drivers did not disappoint with their erratic, slow, and multiple-lane changes, as well as their passive-aggressive driving. But as usual, no accidents as we are usually going too slow to hit each other.

I was soon sleeping, waking at 1 with a terrible nightmare that is now forgotten. Sleep was broken and I rose just after 6 as sleep would not return.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

I woke with the sunrise near 5:30 and rolled over. I started after 7 with the coffee made by the timer built into the fancy coffee maker. I would not drink half a pot, and I have noticed a decrease in my coffee usage. It is a good thing. My weight after the trip is back to 234 pounds, a number I see often. As my friend Scott C suggests, I will have to increase my workouts from walking on trips to something more. My colon is reacting to salads again, which means I will have to be careful with alternative food choices.

I had a question (via text) about travel, and I thought it was insightful from Joan S:

“Do u look for the trips so you can keep traveling or do these trips present themselves
Do u have a goal as to how often u want to travel”?

I find the trips often present themselves, and I have no goal, but I originally imagined traveling every other month. I was even considering renting a room or a small apartment for a month and splitting my time between the house and traveling. A month in New Orleans, LA, NYC, Boston, or Key West would allow for a more thorough experience of the areas than a typical tourist trip. Instead, I am traveling for a week or more, 8 out of 12 months. I prefer ten days and not two weeks (or more). For two weeks, it is a long time to eat out for $$$, and the clothing gets complex (and laundry may be needed).

There are a few places on my bucket list (shipwreck–many in museums, ships in museums, historical sites like Rome, the Dan Brown tour of Rome, and so on) and places I want to try (St. Louis, London, Ireland, Key West). I watch for trips to these places. I often like to visit twice. Once without much of a plan and then back again to see those things that require planning (i.e., cooking/tasting classes, hard-to-get tours, tourist things I missed, etc). I book tours for international trips to ensure I get those hard-to-get tourist spots. Deborah and I did this for Iceland. I expect to do that someday for Rome (I need to take the Dan Brown tour).

Of course, Deborah and I enjoy seeing each other, and that creates a goal to travel more often. I am getting more familiar with the Detroit area, and I like it. It is a short five hours away by Delta’s direct flight from PDX to Detroit, with a pleasant morning flight (arriving around 7:00 pm) and one overnight flight (arriving around 6:00 am).

Returning to the story of Monday, I spent the morning at the laundry mat (the one at 185th and TV Highway), using a pile of quarters from my last visit and cashing a $20 bill; I knew I would be back. It is a hot and sunny day, with temperatures nearing 80°F (25°C), but the laundry is not oppressively hot yet. I have learned that the morning time at the mat is for folks like me with a broken laundry machine (I met a woman doing laundry for her sheets that had a broken machine) or those doing laundry for work. I wanted out before it was oppressively hot!

I use one washing machine for my travel-stained clothing and the few items before and after the trip. One washer and two dryers, and I am out of there in less than ninety minutes. It was $7.50 for the big washer and $1 for each gas dryer. I think two smaller washers are less than one big one, but I hope not to get that involved in this process that I start strategizing.

With the clothing done, I returned home in the EV, spent some time doing various things, and then showered and dressed. At the laundry, I finished the blog, got out some paperwork for church items, and reviewed my transactions in Quicken. I am vigilant for criminals gaining access to my money or submitting charges to my credit cards. My credit cards have been used frequently at restaurants over the last month. But mostly, I try to tap and avoid anyone getting their hands on one. My bank card is not one I use now, except at a bank-owned ATM (ATM fees are refunded to me now that I have my retirement managed by US Bank).

I review my investments, too. My investments for my IRA (once my 401(k) and Susie’s IRA) are running nearly 18% up on an annualized rate since it was moved to US Bank Wealth Management. Mostly, the results are a result of lucky timing (I sold out of the 401 (k) before Trump crashed the markets with his tariffs and other destructive policies — that is not meant to be a political comment, but an observation). My US Bank Wealth Management team then bought low as the markets rebounded using indexes and mutual funds. I am also harvesting (until Trump f**ks that up too — that is a political comment and heartfelt too) higher interest rates.

Lunch is later. I pick up my waterproof pants, which I had shortened to use in Iceland (thanks to Joan S for the pass to their Employee Store, where they are available). They go over my usual pants. I stopped by the food truck park near Beaverton Central. It was hot, so I ordered jambalaya with cleaned shrimp and spicy sausage, and sat outside at the bar, paying $6 for two beers. Natalia from The 649 was there and waved to me. I get to meet her outside of work, and she introduces me to her boyfriend and others. They were also getting lunch at the trucks.

I used my laptop to order an air flight via Delta to New Orleans for the church trip. I gave myself five days in NOLA before the Methodist stuff. The flight was $99 (one way), and I went with the $149 version to allow for changes. I also tried to apply for the American Express Gold card for Delta.

For the Methodist trip, I have not heard from the tour people. I sent them a note. I am unsure of the hotels, travel arrangements, and connections required for the trip. More to follow. But one flight is in place. I looked at hotels, and one of my favorites has rooms for this extra time. Excellent.

After food, heat, and beer, it was time for a nap. I performed a comfortable nap with the AC working at the house after Air VW the Gray took me home without issue from Beaverton Central. I rose in time to watch the rest of Rogue One (I wanted to watch it again after all the Star Wars experiences) and headed to Mexican food with Dondread and Z.

I boarded the EV and soon arrived at Pepita’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina. We had a nice meal (Dondrea and I both picked Chilli Colorado), and Z enjoyed tacos. We were surprised to see USA Tacos (hard corn shells) and Mexican Tacos (soft flour or corn) as separate offerings. I stuck with iced tea, as I didn’t want to take another nap! I brought a few items for them from Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway gift store.

We talked about our upcoming trips and Z’s college fund. I will see about getting one started for Z. In Oregon, the first $180 (twice that for married) is tax-deductible per year (for anyone who contributes in Oregon). This is a 529 program (see here). In other states, the deduction may be different (in many Red states, it is often higher, as the 529 may be used for religious schools — that is what I noticed when looking into this).

After our long dinner and chatting, Air VW the Gray took me home, and I soon was reading about Iceland (thanks, Joan S, for the article) and in my PJs. I slept. I woke up around 1ish with pain in my legs and proved hydration. I got some more water and painkillers, and soon the pain faded and sleep returned.

I slept late as my sleep was disturbed. I dreamed of the dream bus again, traveling a phantom mix of cities (i.e., some Portland, some NYC, some Orange County, etc.), now with a new Asheville section, and I was having trouble with connections and changing buses. Various friends (including Joyce, Eric, and Susie) appeared on different buses with helpful advice. I finally woke from one of the buses, still not reaching my destination.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

 

I rose before 7, with no remembered dreams and a terrible headache; pollen! This is not a new thing, and I will soon start using the AC, vacuuming, and showering at night to reduce the amount of pollen I carry into my bed. Now, with temperatures just breaking into the 80s (26 °C), I simply open the windows and run the large fan in the dining room to cool the house. I might have Jeff put a ceiling fan in the master bedroom. I rose, drank some water, and soon the pain slowed and disappeared into the mesh of pain that is being over 60, the usual. I had posted a card for Mom Wild the previous night, but failed to set up the coffee. I made half a pot of coffee.

Deborah works from home on Friday, and also, like most working people (and I remember doing this too), does some chores, making the weekend free for other things, more planned things. We talk on and off all day. I spend the morning starting the laundry on Friday. From the days of working and the pandemic, Monday and Friday were laundry days. Our back-to-work days at the shoe company began on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and were later expanded to include Monday and Friday. For most, Friday remained a work-from-home day, and in the summer, the afternoons were yours. Thus, I would use Friday for laundry and, before The Machine, start the washer and leave, and finish after work. While I am retired, I find the schedule still works well for me. Sheets on Friday and towels on Monday.

The blog was late, and it was short, as the days have been a bit boring. I’m recovering slowly from being ill over the weekend, and my colon is playing tricks on me. It gets respect as it is 25cm shorter due to colon cancer. I am happy to have some colon left!

I shower and dress after wandering around the house and admiring my flowers in my yard. Although I see all the issues, it is lovely and well-maintained by my lawn service. I soon started on lunch.

A searched the pantry and freezer and discovered I had an expensive large Costco pasta sauce jar, artisan pasta, and ground beef. I heated the sauce in a pan until it was bubbling, not burning the sauce. I boiled water with lots of salt. I browned the beef until it was almost crunchy, and then, holding the pan at an angle, I spooned out the grease into a heat-resistant bowl. I poured the sauce into the frying pan after cooking the degreased meat for only a few minutes (the oil reduces the heat, meaning that without the grease, it is easy to burn the meat). The hot sauce boiled when poured, and I was careful to ensure everything was mixed (and not burned). I let the sauce and meat combine for a while until the sauce appears to be settled and starting to thicken. I boiled the pasta, remembering to reserve a cup of the starchy and salty liquid, and then added it to the sauce before mixing it with the drained pasta.

I enjoyed two bowls. When it cooled I put the whole pot in the frig. With broken sleep and full of pasta and my colon letting me enjoy some gut pain, I rested. I woke 90 minutes later. The headache (pollen!) was harsh. More water (no dice!). I grabbed a Hershey Bar with almonds in the frig and that broke the pain. Yikes!

I boarded Air VW the Gray and soon arrived early at the Mission: Impossible movie at the Movies at TV Regal Theater. Joan S joined me, and we soon found ourselves watching endless previews and ads for products we would not likely buy. Finally, with both of us wondering if being the voice of an animated Smurf is good for a person’s career, we get a very long 2:45 movie (shorter than the previous one) that is a festival of action, insane stunts, and breathtaking special effects. Oddly, the Entity changes shape between movies, and Tom Cruise is no longer in suits and short business haircuts. Also, Joan S pointed out, there are too many close-up shots of his face, and he looks better from a little distance. Hmmm.

It was 9 when we got out. We caught the 5:40 movie, and with the previews, it’s over three hours of sitting. I had to rush to the restroom after the movie, even though I had gone just before the movie and had no drink. Yikes! I thought the movie was unlike the previous version, with longer speeches and elevating Tom Cruise’s character to a savior-like level. But still a good flick and recommended.

Joan S and I went our separate ways, and the EV had me home soon. I was shocked to discover that the kitchen no longer looked like a mad Italian had attacked it, but was now cleaned, and the dishwasher was running. The pot was gone and replaced with one meal of pasta and meat in a container. Corwin, who is always welcome to what he finds, had my recent pasta creation for dinner, and then cleaned the kitchen for me. Excellent! I reheated the pasta, watched some more YouTube history, and ShipHappens update.

Somewhere on this day, I rented and watched the old movie The Day of the Jackal (1973). This is the typical, poorly aged early 1970s movie of the post-war spy genre, but this time it’s an assassin movie. The Jackal is a cold-blooded killer, and it’s hard to feel any affection for this excellently acted anti-hero. The actor whom I always remember in the James Bond movie as Drax plays a perfectly dispassionate detective who tracks down the Jackal. The treatment of women is awful. The book is better, but I have always wanted to watch this version. I enjoyed the novels of Frederick Forsyth while living in the Washington, D.C. area. Spies and assassination stories seemed more real there!

I found that the day was ending, I had trouble winding down, and the house was warm. I had remade the bed and left off some blankets. My new PJs, which fit (but a bit long), were too warm for the season. I finally got comfortable and slept.

Thanks for reading. And I will try to take pictures!

 

 

 

Going backward, I was up until after 11. I had started cooking some eggs, but they were not ready, hard-boiled, and peeled until 11:30. Next, having put on my PJs at 10, I crawled into bed, my mind drifted, and soon I boarded the dream bus and did not wake until sunrise Friday morning. I also wrote the postcard for Mom Wild and put it out, preventing the recent morning rush to get it out before the post arrives on Friday.

Also, I spent part of the late evening exploring how to split data sets into training and testing collections using routines supplied in Open-Source Python libraries. I was still looking for the original source of the Titanic data set, but I have located two copies that match. This dataset describes the victims of the Titanic wreck, including their identification and whether they survived. It makes a good practice set for Python coding of AI-based classifiers.

This then led me down a rabbit hole on testing and validating interesting software options. Still, as usual, the write-ups used too many computer terms (yes, this even happens to me), and I was having trouble decoding their use and application. My interest was piqued, but I am a harshly practical person when it comes to coding, and unless I can find a clear explanation, example code, and a compelling benefit case, I will soon disregard it.

But I am aware that these obscure processes are specifically helpful for the last-mile work. I have learned that it is easy to develop an 80% solution for a classification problem (simply copying some code found on the Internet), but achieving above 90% requires taking special actions to improve accuracy. And with the overfitting issue (where your AI model becomes overly reliant on a few data elements in the test set that are not present in the real dataset), it can easily become a game of thumping moles rather than genuine analysis.  I suspect that this hard-to-follow testing method would be one of the ways to reliably improve an AI model to high success rates. More studying required!

I was doing the Alice-in-Wonderland reading, as I have offered to give a talk on using the Titanic data set for the HOPE_16 conference. I am preparing a short talk on an introduction to Python and AI.  I’m not sure they will accept an introductory talk in such an over-the-top hacker audience, but I’m waiting to see.

Before this, and I regret not getting a photo, Dondrea, Z, and I shared a meal at The Cheesecake Factory. We sat in the bar area and had happy hour items followed by massive desserts. The food was good.

We mostly chatted about the American Civil War (ACW, gamers play both the ACW and the English Civil War, and thus, the clarity is required), as Z was starting that in class. Z asked what our favorite war was to study, an interesting question. I went with WW1 and Dondrea, Vietnam. Dondrea views Vietnam as a defining example of small wars with modern technology, a phenomenon now prevalent worldwide. I also view WWI in a technological sense. I perceive the start of WW1, its execution, and its aftermath as a lesson in the misunderstanding of technological change and political systems that deny the future and are then replaced (or, in the case of Russia, executed). For me the best examples of technology impacting the world are the rise of ironclads in the ACW (in a moment all navies were obsolete) at Hampton Roads 1862 and WW1 Jutland 1916 were bew technology failes to let the Royal Navy to decisivly defeat the inferiero German Imperial Navy in what was a clash of fleets–the only one in the war. We discussed Gettysburg in ACW and some aspects of Vietnam.

Moving further back, I picked up Subha at her house and drove to meet Scott at Cedar Hills McMenamins. Subha, I won’t tell her story for her. She was available for lunch, and Scott and I worked with her for years. It was great to have her join us for lunch. We caught up with her and she decided to try the turkey sandwich with soup and salad, the lunch box special at McMenamen. Our new go-to. She had coffee while Scott and I had beers.

Before all of this, I spent the morning doing the blog, getting ready for the day, and updating my transactions in Quicken. I had risen just after 6 as I had trouble sleeping. More pollen-driven discomfort, and it was warm yesterday (80F+), making sleep difficult. I was tired most of the day.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

I rose and nearly forgot to get a card out to Mom Wild. I rushed a postcard out to the mailbox and made it before the mail was picked up. I had slept late again and did not rise until after 8. I had slept poorly, as the sunrise was bright without clouds, which is not a usual sight in May in the Pacific Northwest (PNW).

Our sunrises should be damp, gray, with green colors seemingly glowing from rain and our limited gray light. Folks can deny climate change all they want, but I am a witness to climate change. For over twenty-five years, I never saw a sunrise in May in the PNW, no, really. Until the last two years, May and June were marked by “Pineapple Express” storms and Oregon mist; every day and every morning were gray. I have never seen the sun so much in May.

With the sun blazing, I started on the blog in my office. I see the hummingbird and other small birds enjoying my plantings while sitting at my desk. It was a short blog as yesterday was not busy; I continue to take it easy after being ill over the weekend. But I am now bored with this, and now I start to get some things done.

First, I purchase a ticket to the HOPE_16 2600 The Hacker Quarterly convention in Queens near NYC. I have always wanted to attend. Deborah was OK with me doing that alone (school starts in August and Deborah will be busy), but the invitation is open for her to hop a plane from Detroit to JFK and join me for a long weekend. I found a Delta flight direct to JFK from Portland for just over $400, and that was not for the cheap seats, done! The hotel, a Fairfield Inn, is a few miles from St. John’s University, which is hosting the convention, and there is a local bus that makes the connection work. I also read that there is a dive bar open until 4 within stumbling distance of the hotel and becoming a thing at HOPE. The hotel, at a stunning $250 a night, is the most expensive part of the trip. HOPE does provide housing in dorms, but I am getting too old for that, and I suspect they do not have AC. I will be in Brooklyn for a week, traveling on Tuesdays starting on 12 August. HOPE is over the weekend.

With the blog done and Tripit.com updated with my August travels, I soon find my way to the shower. Shaved, dressed, and all that, I board Air VW the Gray and head to BJ’s Brewhouse and have my favorite red ale and a California club sandwich with a side of fries. I have tried some other BJ’s Brewhouse locations, and I find this one’s food to be better. The steaks are delicious and perfectly grilled. The prime rib and pork chops (now relegated to only Sundays) are excellent, but a caloric disaster. My sandwich was almost too large. It had the avocado, but also a grilled split chicken breast instead of the usual lunchmeat, just stacked on the sandwich. Only two pieces of excellent toasted bread. The bartender was mostly quiet, and I spent my time on my lapt and enjoyed the solitude of a late lunch. The bartender asked me if I was on my lunch hour (meaning, did she have to rush my check), and that got a smile from me: “No, I am retired.”

Much of my surfing and searching, using my iPhone’s hotspot (I trust no local networks), was related to healthcare. The COBRA coverage runs out in December, and according to my planning, I should start looking for a replacement mid-2025 (or, in other words, now). I am looking at $1,300 a month (I am currently paying about $740 in COBRA) with me finding independent dental and vision coverage for an additional couple of hundred dollars. F**king lot of money. It would be bizarre to return to the workforce solely for coverage, but that is what Corporate America wants, and these prices drive us all to work. Another reason to get Social Security started in 2026 for my 62nd birthday; I will need it to cover the cost to bridge health care until I am 65. Unless Elon and company strip the SSA of workers to prevent the ability to have new claims, “Sorry, but we have a year backlog.” Or Trump and the nutty folks in the Senate refuse to pay the National Debt with the Red hats cheering, only to discover that most of the Debt is owed to the Social Security system, and eliminate SS that way. However, to coin a tired phrase, I suspect cooler heads (and a desire to be re-elected) will prevent most of that.

More to come on that. I paid the bill and returned home. I found on Apple+ that Natalie Portman had done an Indiana Jones or The Librarians style movie for Apple, The Fountain of Youth, and I gave it a try. I felt the pull of a Dan Brown-like rewrite of history and the Hollywood version of exploring taking over. Slicing a bit out of the somehow now intact HMS Lusitania wreck (now sitting upright, in near perfect condition, and with funnels still attached and still showing Cunard Red!), refloating it, and finding a nearly intact staircase hinted back to Clive Cussler’s Raise the Titanic! book and movie. And then, there are secrets in the Great Pyramid that man is not meant to know, which is actually a theme from H.P. Lovecraft’s ghostwriter stories for Houdini. More on that here. Of course, the young billionaire, who resembles a mix of Elon Musk and Tom Cook, is involved and paying the bill (ala the shipwreck hunters for the late Paul Allen). Without giving spoilers, it was entertaining and amazed me with its adventure telling. I would not recommend it sober, but it was not terrible.

Between the movie (I stopped it for a while and finished it when I got back — no reason to miss anything for this one), I reheated the couscous and baked chicken I had made the day before. It was still good. I still have some couscous sauce left.

Back to playing games at First United Methodist Church near the fountain in Beaverton during choir practice. It was just Z and me for this game, and Z picked a small map for the board game, Concordia. This one is from Salsa, and we had to adjust it as we don’t play with the salt commodity (I don’t find it adds much and often distracts). We play fast and furious, as this is a favorite, and we both know how to play. We include the Forum in the game, and I collect a lucky set of choices that lets me grab personality cards faster. Z claimed that a few mistakes caused a loss of points at the end, but I was running fast to keep up the whole time, and my winning score, over 50 points, was from grabbing the Farmer and Weaver personality cards. I paid high for the Farmer, and then my Forum ability let me get Weaver cheap (turning my Senator into an optional Console card). We looked over The Age of Steam for a future game, and played only a round of Furnace (the base game).

Z had a great time, and it’s always lovely to revisit Concordia. I will review the new complex boards so we can give them a try; the Rome board is quite different. It also reminds me that we need to get a game night going.

The EV got me home without events. The pound cake is all gone. I haven’t stopped by the store to pick up some items to make a cheesecake (for an unbirthday) and an orange-flavored cake. Instead of eating pre-processed sugar food made by some uncaring multinational with suspect ingredients, I make my own. But this evening I had only leftover chocolate in the fridge. Still, it was good, but not helpful when trying to sleep. Cakes and warm Sleepy-time tea are a better choice. Cakes will soon be made!

I went to bed, tried to sleep, and somewhere around 1, I slept until 4. I woke at 5:15 to Deborah’s text (I usually sleep through it — I don’t mind waking for them), and finally surrendered to Thursday at 6.

Thanks for reading!