SWTLO(micro)

Too much time passes between time spent with friends. That’s the lesson I keep learning, because that’s the lesson I never retain.

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Soy sauce chow mein[/caption]

Over the weekend, a friend I haven’t seen in over five years came to visit.  We first met in 2013, as part of Journey (a two week tour of South Korea for Korean Adoptees). We keep in touch through periodic online chats but, as you know, those will never replace the value of in-person time together.

She is in the area for an adoptee conference, in San Francisco, and detoured to Sacramento so we could catch up. It was overall great, and kind of fun to show her the sights and low key attitude of Sacramento.

She lamented the lack of good Asian food in Copenhagen (where she lives) so, we ended the first evening with a pretty good mid-afternoon dim sum dinner at Yue Huang Dim Sum, in the Natomas area of Sacramento. Who knew there was a good place nearby? As we were there after 3 PM, we had to order a la carte items from a menu (versus pulling off of rotating carts) but, managed to get a good meal of it all.

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Shrimp stuffed eggplant[/caption]

The shrimp stuffed eggplant were quite good. I loved the contrast of the creamy eggplant and the crunchy topping.

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Walnut buns[/caption]

The walnut buns were a little too sweet for my liking but I loved that they looked like actual walnuts.

All in all, it was just a good reminder that there are a lot of people out there that I want to spend time with.

1. We finally braved the California DMV* (without an appointment, nonetheless less) to get our California driver's licenses and license plates. We are now "California official", or at least, official again. It's a weird thing to focus on but, I feel more at home knowing my license and car tags say "California" on them again.
2. I finally (I hope) cleaned up my iTunes library. Having multiple backups in multiple locations definitely came in handy. Let that be a lesson to any reading this; keep multiple backups in multiple locations for everything important to you. I lost maybe ~10 songs in the process but, can always rip them from CDs again. I'm also just waiting for iTunes to screw it all up again. The plus side of doing this (it took half a day) was that I got to listen to a lot of music that I had almost forgotten that I had.
3. A friend, from Denmark, is staying with us tonight. It's fun to catch up and, later, wander around the city with her. Haven't seen her in 5 years, since our time in Korea.
4. I'm writing this while sitting outside on my patio, in the cool quiet morning. I need to write/work outside more often.
5. I'm slightly annoyed that I didn't have a (new) picture to include with this post. Need to change that for the next time.

*There is much hoopla over how efficient the DMV is, including wait times and overall confusion for customers. The soonest available appointment that we could get would have been the end of November, which is what made us decide to brave the lines. All said and done, it took about 2.5 hours to get through everything. Not horrible but, we are definitely thankful it’s done.

One of my favorite things about this city, Sacramento, is wandering around and finding gorgeous murals everywhere.

It’s only 7:38 AM and I have already reached my allowed coffee quota (is there such a thing?) for today. These early morning meetings are, well… they’re something. Here’s a song that reflects my morning (including meetings and caffeine intake), Mourn, “Fun At The Geysers”:

[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RY2L7sr1So?rel=0])

We have a strange work culture. Yesterday was a holiday (I prefer Indigenous Peoples' Day) yet, emails and text messages and (yes, even some) phone calls were still flying.

I have a ton of work to do, not to mention (as you can see from the picture) quite a lot to cleanup around my overall setup. The whole home office is still a work in progress*. But, you know what? I took my holiday.

The computers remained off yesterday. Well, with the exception of my home PC. I needed some gaming time** on my day off.

I need to carry this momentum to setting overall working hours, and finding ways to turn off. I need to take breaks throughout the day, specifically make an effort to get outside more. I would love to separate my work and personal computing environments but, until I get that mansion with a hundred rooms, they’ll remain together for now.

* I anticipate that it will be for quite some time. The desk is a lot less cluttered than it was last week. I still need to mount the monitor (left) and clean up the cabling behind it. It will accommodate my 1) home PC, 2) Nintendo Switch, and 3) Work Surface Pro 4. The wires below the desk need a lot of cleanup but, that will come last once I get the desk arranged the way I want it.

**I’m really relly addicted to Jurassic World Evolution. I even think about it when I’m not playing it. And yes, there may have been a dream or two that involved it.

1. The biggest deterrent from moving is, well... moving. Especially between different states. There's just so much to take care of. It's a good reminder of how broken government *cough*DMV*cough* entities are.
2. Chile rellenos, tamales, and tacos. Those are my Mexican food vices. Now you know.
3. I'm gathering as much as I can in preparation for e-waste recycling. I scheduled a pickup for this coming Tuesday, and am treating this as a huge opportunity to downsize, clean, and reorganize.
4. I'm highly irritated with Apple iTunes... it has absolutely destroyed my music library. Album cover to title tracks to playlists and more... obliterated. I don't even know where to begin with sorting this all out.
5.  The home office is starting to take shape. At least, I like the way that it is starting to take shape. There are still some tweaks and adjustments I need to make, mostly in the name of comfort. Working from home full time has changed the way I want to approach the machines/monitors on my desk. Again. ,mostly driven by the need to be more comfortable. Also driven by the need to reduce distractions.

1. No picture ready for this post is a good indicator that I need to step up my photo game so that I don't run into this same issue next week. I could post another food pic but, nah.
2. I'm beginning to appreciate curated email newsletters again though, it's still rough trying to find ones that I actually enjoy/look forward to. It also makes me wonder if I need to even bother with a newsletter of my own given that I'm not entirely positive that I would be able to keep it interesting from issue to issue.
3. Playing Jurassic World: Evolution (PC) and it's so what I wanted in this game it's not even funny. I'm tempted to buy Forza Horizon 4 because I love the open world concept in a driving game. It's cathartic to drive through farmers' fields with a Ferrari.
4. Damn, it feels really good to be back in California. My mind and body health is definitely improving.
5. In another life, I think I would have become a chef.

youtu.be/0YczvcOm4…

I’m adding this track to the list of songs* to write scenes to. Also, Valley Queen has been added to my list of favorite music groups. Check them out.

*I started a list of songs that I want to write scenes to. You know, scenes… like what you see in movies where there is little dialog (if any) and the combination of music and visuals speak for themselves. I do that, in my head, a lot when I listen to music. It’s about time I start putting those to paper.

The hotel we stayed at was two blocks away from the Watergate. The Watergate has a great rooftop bar so, a few of us decided to head over to unwind. When we arrived, we were disheartened to find out that the rooftop was rented out to a private party for the evening. So, we settled for drinks inside the lobby-level bar.

The trip was not something that I was looking forward to. It felt like I had just left the area (we completed our cross-country drive four weeks before), and we were living in between rentals while waiting for escrow to close on our own home. The week that I was needed in DC just so happened to be the week that escrow was slated to close, we would be able to move in, and our moving truck would arrive. I didn’t want to work-travel while all of that was happening. I didn’t want to leave M to deal with everything herself.

It all worked out, though. Really well, in fact. In large part because my wife is freakin' awesome and so very capable. I worry too much. The meetings/workshop that required the travel was extremely beneficial as well. It was sorely needed and extremely helpful for my team and I to complete the next series of steps and goals. Worth it.

In hindsight, I wish I would have had more faith in things working out for the better, and thus been able to fully enjoy, in the moment, the old fashioned I sipped at the Watergate that evening.

I took the above photo a few weekends ago, while M and I wandered around downtown and old town Sacramento. I’m falling for this city; I think it’s an underrated California “gem”. It fits what she and I were looking for.

We wanted a small-big city. Though I will always love Southern California (Ventura County, Greater Los Angeles), and it’s urban sprawl and wonderful diversity, I wanted something more… rural? Not sure if that’s the right word. I wanted a place where I could get “city life” yet still be amongst farms.

This is it. We’re in suburban Sacramento, just a 7-minute drive to downtown. Our neighborhood is uber quiet, across form a park, and filled with young families. On weekends and evenings, we can jet into the city to get our culture (food, events, sports, shopping, etc.) without much fuss. Dinners out are awesome; just a $5-10 Lyft ride so we both can drink and laugh and enjoy without much worry about finding/paying for parking or DUIs.

The rivers (Sacramento and American) are gorgeous. Folsom Lake is so close, too. No shortage of recreational and scenic waterscapes around here.

We’re a quick drive to the bay area, Redwood National Park, Yosemite, Santa Cruz/Monterey, and more. A little longer, and we can drive to Southern CA, Portland, and more places our family and friends are in. It’s central to the people and places we want in our lives.

Now that we have the location settled, it’s time we start taking advantage. Quality of life… that’s what all of this is about.

This morning called for pancakes. The afternoon called for being a lot more productive than we actually were. Blame this morning’s pancakes.

1. Why am I driving myself crazy trying to figure out which iPhone XS to upgrade to (XS or XS Max) when it's absolutely not even something that is necessary to do?!? I'm perfectly fine with what I have. Stop it. Just, stop.
2. There's so much more out there that I want to spend my brain power, money, and time on.
3. It felt really good to wake up on a Saturday and cook breakfast in my own kitchen, in my own home.
4. Create create create.
5. My tendency is to overcomplicate things because sometimes my brain cannot comprehend that some things are just easy. Plain and simple, some things are just easy. I don't need elaborate dinners every night. I don't need complicated workflow processes. I don't need separate software to journal versus take notes versus track tasks. It's all so crazy.

I’m just so happy that our refrigerator doesn’t have some portion of leftover pizza in it.

Six weeks. Six weeks living out of a suitcase, jumping from hotels to rentals and back to hotels. All in all it could have been worse. And, we did land in our own home (the moving truck finally arrived yesterday, after almost a week of “clamping” in our living room).

Six weeks of eating out, ordering delivery, or fumbling through small kitchenettes to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And pizza… Lord, so much pizza.

Sounds like I’m complaining, right? Sounds like I have no right to complain, as some of this stuff described above sounds like someone else’s dream vacation/staycation?

The root of it all (yes, my complaining) is that we finally are home; we can establish some roots. We plan to be here for the foreseeable future. We’re happy to be back on the west coast, in California, living in the Pacific time zone. We’re happy to be much closer to our family and friends.

And we’re happy to take that break from pizza.

There are speakers in the ceiling!

The new home is prepared with 6 speakers, in the ceiling, throughout the living room. When it comes to audio, I am clueless. I have lived 40 years of life being perfectly content with built-in speakers and headphones. And now, I have a home with recessed ceiling speakers and this series of ports.

Something new to learn about and figure out. I want to take advantage of this but not sure how. Help?

Also, the new home is wired with Ethernet cable. Every room has an Ethernet port. My dream. This is something I know about.

We’re in this weird place where we are living in our new home but our things haven’t yet arrived. The moving truck is still working its way across country (from Virginia). I miss our stuff. I’m craving all of our kitchen equipment because I’m getting really tired of eating out, and desperately want to get back to cooking.

I’m missing the dining room table and chairs. A couch would be nice. Our bed… Lord, I miss our bed. An air mattress will only take you so far.

I’m also missing my Kindle (Voyage). I keep kicking myself for packing it rather than keeping it with me. I thought that my iPad would suffice but, I just like the experience on the Kindle better. It’s focused reading. The iPad is a distraction, since I do so many things on it.

What we miss most of all is the feeling of being settled. It was a positive, incremental step moving out of a rental and into our own home. But we don’t feel settled. At least, not until we have out things and I’m able to put our pictures on the walls.

I feel a strong connection to Incheon.

I don’t know where I’m from. I know that I was born some where in Korea. I know that I was left at a police station in Seoul, in a neighborhood now known as Dongdaemun market. In 2013, I walked through that neighborhood (multiple times) and visited the area that police station was (it’s no longer there).

That was the closest that I have ever been to “home”.

I felt no connection.

youtu.be/F1RSHbG9r…

Yeonanbudu Pier. I walked through this area in January 2013, the night before flying home. And again in June 2013, like before, the night before I flew home. I’m drawn to piers and ports. I love the eclectic mix of industry and leisure, ships and boats. This place spoke to me, softly… loudly. Does it mean anything? Who knows.

Wolmido. Two friends, locals to Incheon, took me here for an evening (June 2013). It was summer, hot, and humid. We drank beer and people watched. We laughed at each other and with each other. It was one of the few times in Korea when I felt like I really belonged. Those two friends became brothers that evening. Does it mean anything? Who knows.

I feel a strong connection to Incheon.

I walked through Baedari (bookstore alley) at night, when the stores were closed. It’s lovely.

Gyeongin Ara Waterway… this bike path is on my list of things to do (ride) the next time I am back. I remember seeing it from roads to and from the airport, and always longing to get out and ride it. My hotel (my last summer night there) was very close to Songdo Central Park. I quickly walked through it during my search for dinner (my flight was cancelled and it was late), and made a mental note to spend more time there the next time.

I follow the Incheon K-League club, Incheon United FC. I have yet to see a match in person but I consider myself a fan. Most people only know Incheon as the city where the airport is, a short stop on the way to Seoul. For me, Incheon is a destination; a place to spend time in before anywhere else on the peninsula.

I feel a strong connection to Incheon.

// I subscribe to the Korea.net Youtube channel because I like to be reminded about the beauty of that country, and all of the things I need to do when I find my way back. When I saw the video centered on Incheon, time stopped for me and, I had to write this post.

Jeju Island has a special, magic for me. But it didn’t feel like home. Perhaps, one day, I’ll write a post about that beautiful island experience. \

Last meal in Fairfax, VA. It was wonderful.

Found some quiet amidst the storm (packing up the house).

Yeah, that’s kinda what moving feels like right now.

We flew out here for this.

The more I write, the better the writing will get.

The more I photograph, the better my photographs will be.

Practice.

…

It’s a mantra that I need to incorporate into my approach. I need to “regain” my creativity. I need to reawaken it; I have allowed it to become complacent. My creativity has been binge watching shows on Netflix while eating junk food delivered from Amazon Prime Now and meals delivered by Grubhub, allowing it to never leave the house and rarely leave the couch.

I care about writing. I care about the pens and the notebooks I use. I care about the keyboard that I pound out my thoughts on. I care about the tools of the craft. I need to refocus on the craft itself.

I care about photography. I care about the cameras and, the medium, and the accessories. I love the tools that I have. I care about those tools. I need to refocus on the craft itself.

1. I am not at rest; I am in flux. The rest will come when I am back in Pacific time... I hope.
2. Been reading a lot about Robin Williams. I... I just don't know. You just don't know. You never really do.
3. White Fang is one of my childhood favorite books, so White Fang (2018) caught my eye while browsing Netflix, last night. Beautiful animation. It was so well done.
4. I still haven't gotten the hang of taking better care of myself.
5. This was a mediocre week. One of those uneventful weeks that help you recalibrate what is good and what is bad.

Tough life.

On the last day of the Games, after competition had wrapped up and my team was finished, I had an evening to myself with no commitments. It was such a nice feeling. No commitments.

I did spend some of it catching up with some colleagues from Southern California. I hadn’t seen them in years and there was much to discuss. Friends, talking for hours in a coffee shop… a really good time.

Afterwards, on my solitary walk back to the hotel, I realized that I was hungry so I stopped into Pho Shizzle. Throughout the week, the team and I had fun with the name of the place. Some of them had tried it. So, I decided it was my turn to try.

A solitary meal, eating a bowl full of spicy beef noodle soup and a couple of spring rolls. Time to think to myself, for myself. Time to just stare out the front windows and people watch.

This was the perfect end to that week, that day.

1. The past two weeks, working the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle, Washington, served as a good shot in the arm for me. The high-paced first half of 2018 had me very stressed out These past two weeks, and spending time watching the fruits of our labor, have me re-energized.
2. One thing that I (re)learned about myself this week? A lot of my unhappiness comes when I try to fit into the perceived "normal". This also happens when I go along with a group of people without giving myself a voice and say into what we do. I was happiest when I simply chose to do what I wanted to do, even if it meant separating from the group.
3. I need to start getting back into the habit of taking a few days for myself either before or after work trips, to explore the area a little more. I have been to Seattle a few times; I love it. It's gorgeous there.
4. Lego. Voltron.
5. Related, this past Season of Voltron: Legendary Defender played like a movie and, I loved every second of it.