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• Post #4478507

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) #Aikido again! That has been a very good thing this weekend. Advice of the day was cryptic: “Throw with your tailbone - nothing mechanical.” Whatever that meant, it worked. 2) I have an important career discussion tomorrow, and I think I am prepared. Or at least prepared to further prepare early tomorrow morning. 🤞 3) Got most things arranged for spouse & kiddo to return on Tuesday.

• Post #4460905

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) I really like the range of teachers & styles at our #Aikido dojo. There is a standard curriculum handed down through one of the founder’s direct students, of course. But the head of the dojo is on a “practical application” kick and so his classes are kinda like training for Fight Club (was I supposed to say that?). Monday is a taste of Iwama, Friday morning and Saturday is about harnessing connection and seems like Jedi Academy, and Sunday the teacher is als...

• Post #4407871

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) Ok, Space Battleship Yamato is subtly better than the Star Blazers of my youth. Just learning that. Of course, the pervy droid’s handsy sequences were best edited out, but the actual historical context adds depth. Indulged in watching four more episodes this evening. 2) Said something about this yesterday, but I’m even more amazed by the soundtrack and also enjoying the little touches that then showed up in Star Trek: Next Generation (and beyond). Like a holodec...

• Post #4391090

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) For the first time in 45 years or so, watched the 1st episode of Star Blazers, aka Space Battleship Yamato. Core memory from childhood, may introduce the kiddo to it. 2) The soundtrack is way better than I could really have appreciated at age 10 or 11. 3) Marine layer returned! Cooled off in the Bay Area a bit (at least where I was). https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLstLXp2FyzhbM29yvI_4g9cuqOk0RLyT5

• Post #4369654

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) MIL continues improving. Walked out to her mailbox at the end of the block today! 2) Lap time with big tuxedo boy cat. 3) Got one of my spouse’s paintings - although I have loved many, it’s the only one I claimed- had it framed, and brought it to my office to enjoy. (I offered to buy it and it was gifted.)

• Post #4347016

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) Saw some older neighbor friends at the usual neighborhood Sunday lunch spot. Sometimes #normal is delightful. 2) Tortie girl cat and tuxedo boy cat took turns coming to entice me to the living room to play. 😻 3) Just two San Dan (3rd degree) students and me at #Aikido today. Got to play with technique reversals and “plan B” options when opponents resist a technique. So much fun! (And can be so confusing! “Wait - am I attacking or are you?!?”)

• Post #4322832

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) Lost some weight and it’s kinda stayed off. I might maybe have touched this number a decade ago after ballooning past it two decades ago. Almost don’t want to type it out because I don’t want to jinx it. But it is feeling like a good thing right now! 2) MIL gaining some function, walking more steadily, feeling more present. No idea how much farther she can go, but the neurologist doesn’t want to test her for another several weeks because improvement is apparentl...

• Post #4306334

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) Got some cuddle time in with both of the cats. Separately, of course. 2) Spouse and daughter are extending their stay with Oma for 10 more days to help her get through the harshest part of stroke recovery. That’s not the good part. What’s good is that this happened during summer break, so extended caregiving was even possible. 3) Kiddo is using this time with few distractions (other than Oma duties) to work on the graphic novel she has been storyboarding for the...

• Post #4301926

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) Forgot all medications this morning. Not my best day for executive function, but I survived and got to remember the tools I learned (the hard way) before the meds to handle life. 2) MIL home from hospital. (Spouse fell asleep from exhaustion before giving me details, but she totally earned the rest.) 3) An interviewer for a job I am exploring had to reschedule, but see no. 1 above. (This was for the best.)

• Post #4229342

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) MIL’s strokes were “very minor,” per neurologist (finally got some clarity!), and suspects they’re caused by maybe taking the wrong blood thinner. Trying a newer one. 🤞 2) Got to volunteer helping some foresters alongside some work colleagues. A day in the sun, getting dirty! 3) Got an enameled pin for the kiddo: “Isopod Appreciator.” And she’s genuinely psyched! (Takes that role very seriously.)

• Post #4185749

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) Managed to remotely help spouse & kiddo get on a plane to DC at the very last minute. Decision to boarding in under 2 hours. 2) I get to cat-sit for a few days. 3) Reason for the rush was not good - MIL had a small stroke in with those TIAs - but at least we were able to afford getting the two ladies across the continent to be with her.

• Post #4156071

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) #JuryDuty fizzled for today. Got there to find out we all have to come back next month. But! I got to catch up on all kinds of things with my “out of office” alert active. 2) I’m getting to interview a number of execs at work about a job I am interested in interviewing for. (A mentor recommended this approach, and shockingly these bigwigs are saying “sure!” when I ask if they’ll talk about it.) 3) Spouse got us tickets to see #LaurieAnderson live in a couple of...

• Post #4132375

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) Watched “Project Hail Mary” with spouse & kiddo this evening. It was lovely as I’d been told. Kiddo’s squeal at the final scene is still ringing in my ears. 2) #Aikido helped me recalibrate my mood. I was pretty tangled up for some reason. 3) Actually looking forward to Jury duty tomorrow.

• Post #4126223

  The #SanFranciscoMarathon #SFMarathon was this morning, with the #Ultramarathon starting last night. The #SFChronicle story lists the top finishers. Most of the fastest finishers were local to #SFBayArea, with some folks from #Arizona or #Colorado. One name from #Canada, one from #Japan (who I think won both a 5K and the half-marathon!). First, congratulations to everyone who participated and to those who pushed and won! But… where are the #Kenyans? Where are the other international runners?...

• Post #4107082

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) Gorgeous day in S.F., temps high 60s-low 70s, & got to be outside for a lot of it. 2) Kiddo & I got to hang out and talk this afternoon, to dig into playlists, & to enjoy each other’s company. It has been a long time since it was just us, and I missed it. 3) MIL had a big health scare yesterday but was discharged home 3) Cooking dinner with the kiddo, who is very enthusiastic!

• Post #4028066

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) Spouse’s first art fair foray goes up in Seattle! (Link below because of course I am a fan.) She’s primarily an oil painter but got obsessed making these mixed media on paper things and then cutting into them with lasers and…. 2) Being a stan of an artist you live with is quite nice. 3) #JuryDuty. It’s inconvenient but important. Got called in to serve today, and that’s all I have to say about that.

• Post #3978916

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) A no good very bad stupid large-scale work problem was averted. (Wasn’t me who averted it, but I was on a crew prepping to mitigate it until we got to stand down.) 2) Spouse got in to see a dental surgeon immediately for a painful thing. (Yes, they tend to let you do that when it’s bad enough. Just not taking for granted the fact that it was possible and financially manageable.) 3) For a while this evening had both cats curled up on me while we rewatched some Te...

• Post #3779412

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) Huzzah! A normal day. Normal schedule. 2) Lunch in the sun with my spouse while the kiddo was at the mall. 3) Reading a grad paper just for fun and to help out a work colleague (time is tight but I really love doing it - and not doing it as a side gig at the moment so this is a treat).

• Post #3755461

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) Went to see #Vetiver at the Make-Out Room in the #Mission with my spouse. Show was wonderful. So strange that a band that good can be seen in an intimate bar setting. 2) Crowd was… our demographic. “Aging hipster.” 50- & 60-somethings. Lots of plaid and rolled-up jeans. Headliner set done before 10 PM. 🤣 3) Shōjin ryōri (vegan Buddhist temple cuisine) at Cha Ya on Valencia street.

• Post #3702896

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings Been slacking a bit on this positive habit. Today feeling the resiliency reserves need topping off. 1) Spent a lovely afternoon on cold (60F/15C) & overcast Ocean Beach & #SunsetDunes playing Frisbee (actually one of those Aerobee things - it does better in the constant wind) with the family. 2) Kiddo wants to learn more cooking, and is in the kitchen with my spouse, making a rice bowl that incorporates some of the ingredients we brought home from Japan. 3...

• Post #3665345

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) New (to me) “Falconry & me” YouTube videos with #Fable the raven. Those videos were important to us during early pandemic lockdowns, and watching feels like catching up with dear friends. 2) Kiddo had a first life drawing class. Feels like a serious milestone. 3) Discovered that a behavior of my dad’s is a backhanded & counterproductive attempt to connect and be seen. Mad that I have to tone down my outrage at him, but if this is just him needing to talk...

• Post #3620814

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) Norway national team’s rowing. Gleefully absurd. 2) Didn’t sleep enough this weekend but still feel restored. 3) Each of the conversations all around about the #DeclarationOfIndependence might only have a small, “butterfly flapping its wings” effect on how the next few years unfold, but they will add up.

• Post #3490916

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) We got a good kid there. 2) Gorgeous day for #Pride in SF. (June can leave the partiers at serious risk for hypothermia.) 3) Spouse’s sister may be able to get State critical home repair assistance for her house instead of needing an emergency loan. Better use of our tax money than prominent other idiocies we could all name.

• Post #3462386

  Kids these days. Not like in my day, I tell you what! 16-yo kiddo went to #SFPride with friends for the first time. Came home with the friends. Before dinner. Sober! To draw together! Could not be more different from her parents. Scratching my head, wondering where this behavior could have come from! (And of course proud of them all. They will be more likely to keep all their teeth as they age than my friends did, among other things.)

• Post #3443597

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) I recommended someone at work for a development opportunity and they got it! 2) It was a glorious, gorgeous, normal day. 3) Rewatching Wolf Hall - this time with the kiddo. Mark Rylance is riveting to watch in every scene. He’s been around, working, winning awards… for years. How did I never notice before this role?

• Post #3422155

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) Went with spouse & kiddo to see the firing of the #gaysers for #SFPride. 2) Was lucky enough to see Brené Brown speak yesterday. 3) Talked with a mentor from years back, feeling more confident about a work thing.

• Post #3379634

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) Eyes popped open at 2:26 AM and stayed open despite my best efforts - but got decently caught up on important work emails. 2) Back on the bicycle to get to work. Vacation was wonderful but still also missed the early morning workout. 3) Spouse had a half-dozen pieces chosen on the spot by a gallery owner doing a site visit, specifically for an art fair in #Seattle in July.

• Post #3367669

  #ThreeGoodThings #3goodthings 1) Happy #FathersDay to those who celebrate. 2) 10 years ago on Father’s Day, my spouse suggested I stop talking about trying #Aikido and just go do it. And got to train again with my dojo friends this morning! 3) Spouse came home from our trip to learn that the #art gallery owner she wants to work with would like to visit her studio… tomorrow! (So after a family lunch and a wander in #GoldenGatePark, I see some cleaning and arranging in my future!)

• Post #3316983

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings 1) Black broad beans (horse beans?) in soy sauce. 2) That feeling when you realize the missed transport connections and near-miss disasters of the day all worked out in the end. 3) Watched several generations out early this morning working to clear street gutters, weed the steps to their shrine, and trim greenery that encroached on the path there.

• Post #3309458

  #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings #Naoshima #Art Island edition 1) Saw a raccoon dog (tanuki) duck into the bushes near the Chichu Art Museum this evening. 2) The James Turrell “Open Sky” night program at sunset. Yes, infinity can slowly color-shift. And infinity can be the flattest thing imaginable. 3) Fresh sashimi in a little old fishing village on an island in the Seto Inland Sea. Bonus: Nighttime bike ride with spouse and kiddo along the sea. Also bonus: Cats own much of the village.