April 2026
Summary: Easter Dinner with Patrick, Paul, Irene, Cris, Jeff, Mark H. Dinner at Maria Isabel with Patrick.
Dates on this page
Wed Apr 1, 2026
Breakfast: TJ's cherry pistachio pecan granola with milk, hot water. Napped. Lunch with Patrick: TJ's empanadas de ropa vieja (shredded beef). Cabinet door rubber bumper replacements are done. Cleaned the top of the range hood. Rode UberX to AMC Kabuki Theatres with Patrick to see Project Hail Mary, which we enjoyed except for the last scene. Popcorn with butter, large sodas. Afterwards we ate sushi at Tenroku, $33.65 after a $4.50 tip. Service by Wendy was very good. Rode UberX home. Patrick went to bed. I read another story (BICTN) in his forthcoming collection.
Thu Apr 2, 2026
There was a 5.0 earthquake near Boulder Creek last night and were awoken by a MyShake alert but did not feel anything. Breakfast: blueberries with local honey and toasted coconut; toasted english muffin with egg; hot water. Walked and rode Muni to a doctor appointment and back. Walked and rode Muni to Morning Due Cafe for lunch with Patrick, Kerry, and Mom Ryan. Kerry had a beer with burger and fries, Mom Ryan had mint tisane with a croissant egg sandwich with home fries, and Patrick and I shared a grilled chicken sandwich with fries. Chai latte for me, unsweetened iced tea for Patrick. All food, drink, and service were excellent. Afterwards Patrick and I walked to 18th and Castro. He left to get some groceries. I went to run errands: drug store and hardware store. Later I prepared dinner for Patrick and me: thin and regular spaghetti with marinara sauce from a jar; hot water. Patrick processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Afterwards we watched YouTube including half of Handsome Podcast: Stephen Colbert asks about woo-woo beliefs. Patrick went to bed. Later I started the dishwasher. Drinks with Paul at Blush! Met Paul's friend Benjamin and also met Roderick and Megan. Great music by Emily Zisman and friends.
Fri Apr 3, 2026
Slept in very late. Lunch: I prepared a mushroom quesadilla with sour cream and mild salsa. Water to drink. Cleaned the bathroom, cut my hair, showered, cleaned the bathroom. Friday Happy Hour with a subset of The Syndicate and friends at Detour: Johnnie, Scott T, Andy M, Tyler, Galen, Jose, Miguel, Other Scott, Scot B, Bill, JY, Adrian, and briefly Timmy D. Afterwards Johnnie, Emery, and Scot B and I tried dining at Bar 49 then Starbelly which were both too crowded, and we ended up at Sausage Factory. We shared cheesy garlic bread. Johnnie ordered (I think) a salad with chicken, and the rest of us shared a caesar salad and an all meat pizza. Home. Began editing a story (BICTN) in Patrick's forthcoming collection.
Sat Apr 4, 2026
Recently I noticed that at the threshold between our bedroom and its bathroom there were sharp nails hidden in the carpet and pointing upward. I had stepped on these with my full body weight in the past but couldn't figure out what it was. The nails protude a very small amount—perhaps 1/8 to 1/4 inch. I removed these with a pair of 4-inch diagonal high-leverage mini pliers (Ace #2037209) before asking Claude and learning that I had removed the nails from a tack strip and that likely a carpet installer failed to install transition strip reducers. Performed a vinegar clean on the washing machine. Chatted briefly with neighbor Daniela who stopped by to gift us a traditional Italian easter cake—so nice! Started a load of laundry. Trash management. Vacuumed the entire home. Deep-cleaned the gaps in the surface of the stove with the vacuum and a plastic putty knife. Updated my medic alert cheat sheets. Lunch: Whole Foods slow-cooked beef and mashed potatoes, water. Ate on the balcony in the sun wearing my Tilley hat. Trash management. Swept in front of the home. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Afternoon snack: corn chips, peanuts. Folded laundry. Pressure washed the outer stairwell, walls, and windows. While starting, I missed a step on the outer stairwell and fell, incurring a minor abrasion on my left elbow that probably looks worse than it is. I washed it, sprayed it with Bactine, applied gauze, and wrapped it tightly with an Ace bandage, and continued pressure washing, finishing the stairwell and the planter in front of the home. Dinner at home with Patrick: roasted garlic and pesto pizza with Patrick's Indian food delivery leftovers from Curry Up Now via DoorDash: American Punjabi Thali: tumeric and fenugreek scented basmati rice with saag paneer, makhni butter chicken, kulcha naan. Afterwards I did some cleaning in the kitchen and we watched YouTube. Patrick went to bed early. I started the dishwasher. Continued editing a story (BICTN) in Patrick's forthcoming collection. Began updates for home devices. Installed macOS 26.4 on my MacBook Pro. Installed iOS 26.4 on my iPhone 16 Pro. Installed iPadOS 26.4 on my 5th Gen iPad Air. Late snack: two slices of sourdough bread with salted Irish butter.
Sun Apr 5, 2026
Patrick was busy prepping dinner and I didn't want to eat yogurt two mornings in a row, so I walked to Orphan Andy's and had the Big 2: 2 bacon, 2 sausage links, 2 pancakes, 2 eggs (scrambled). Hot water to drink. The food was perfect, as usual. Service was okay. My favorite server no longer seems to work Sundays. Home. Put away the pressure washer. Troubleshot the pressure washer wand being hard to disassemble. I could not remember which direction was to tighten and to loosen. Eventually I got it apart using a wrench on the golden nut. Then I labeled which was was tight and which way was loose. I also labeled with the P-Touch the wand to clarify which end attached to the handle and which end attached to the tip. Swept in front of the home and on the steps. Helped Aggie with migrating emails between accounts. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Small lunch/snack: one carrot and several mushrooms with ranch dip, water. Uploaded and titled New Orleans trip photos. Dinner party at home with Patrick, Paul M, Irene M, Jeff C, Cristiano F, Mark H. Patrick prepared chicken, shrimp, and andouille jambalaya with spring greens salad with radish, bacon, and buttermilk dressing with warm sliced baguette and focaccia. Four desserts: the traditional Italian easter cake from Daniela and Ravi, a pecan pie from Nations, a cheesecake with strawberries from Nations, mochi. We drank white and red wines and sparkling blood-orange-flavored water. Mark also brought a beautiful spring mix bouquet. Afterwards I chatted with Lani and Dex on Google Meet.
Mon Apr 6, 2026
I finished editing a story (BICTN) in Patrick's forthcoming collection. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Edited another story (FG). Lunch at home with Patrick: leftover jambalaya, water. Began editing another story (CT). Dinner at home with Patrick: salad with buttermilk dressing, leftover roasted garlic and pesto pizza, water. Afterwards we watched Bird Box on Netflix. I had seen this once and did not mind rewatching it. Patrick had never seen it before. Martha Stewart's Movie-Theater-Style Popcorn. Patrick went to bed. I processed dirty dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and started the dishwasher. Finished editing another story (CT). Reinstalled Plex Player on my MacBook Pro since it has been crashing today. The reinstall seemed to fix it.
Tue Apr 7, 2026
No breakfast. Walked and rode Muni to a doctor appointment and a lab appointment. Possibly urgent nurse visit at eye clinic turns out is not urgent (subconjunctival hemorrhage with a bit of pain). Lunch by myself at My Father's Kitchen: five-spice chicken with rice, lettuce, mint, nuoc cham; thai iced tea. Walked and rode Muni home. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Dusted and vacuumed the upper level. Vacuumed above the refrigerator. Plant care. Walked to errands then home: Cliff's Variety to recycle some things, Mollie Stone's for a few groceries. Watched YouTube. Dinner at home with Patrick: Bi-Rite chicken and cabbage salad with crispy noodles and peanuts, hot water. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Afterwards we watched YouTube including SNL s51:e16 then part of Aaron Chen: Funny Garden. Patrick went to bed. Began editing another story (Fridays…) in Patrick's forthcoming short story collection.
Wed Apr 8, 2026
Breakfast at home: I prepared for myself two eggs scrambled with salt and pepper, one hash brown with ketchup, one small pork sausage link, hot water. Cleaned the kitchen. Deep-cleaned the kitchen faucet aerator. Deep-cleaned the kitchen counter under the cutting board. Money management activities. Swept the patio and in front of the home. Lunch: one sumo orange, two slices of avocado spread on sourdough toast, water. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Finished editing two stories (Fridays… and SFTH) in Patrick's forthcoming short story collection. Dinner at home with Patrick: creamy potato, leek, and fennel soup, red beet and orange salad, and toasted French bread; water; white wine. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Manually sewed a catch stitch on the sweatpants I recently altered so that the new seam I had created would lie flat. Patrick and I watched part of K-Pop Demon Hunters on Netflix. Patrick went to bed. Later I started the dishwasher. Late snack: two small egg rolls from frozen with dipping sauce.
Thu Apr 9, 2026
Folded laundry that Patrick had washed yesterday. Breakfast at home with Patrick: TJ's kouign amman from frozen (two each, not bad for frozen, a bit messy to eat because flakes go everywhere), caffeinated coffee with milk, half banana each. Dusted the upper level after realizing that recent dusting was not complete. Cleaned the light bulbs in the range hood of grease. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Cleaned the soles of my heated slippers with Dawn PowerWash. Lunch at home with Patrick: avocado chicken salad sandwiches on whole wheat sourdough. Patrick's side: ripple potato chips. My side: fire-roasted corn off the cob from frozen. Water to drink. Trash management. Showered. Did a self-guided walking tour / photo walk of Lower Market Street using a book called Walking San Francisco that I bought in 2000. Stopped at a cafe to use the restroom and buy an iced chai latte to go. Rode Muni home from Powell Street Station. Dinner at home with Patrick: meatballs and fresh spaghetti with garlic marinara. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. We opened a bottle of Schramsberg to celebrate Patrick finishing his new collection of short stories. We watched Shrinking s3:e11 (season finale) on Apple TV. Patrick made popcorn in the silicone microwave air popper and topped it with a variety of spices and Better Cheddar. We watched YouTube then part of Sheng Wang: Purple on Netflix. Patrick went to bed. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Changed the AA battery in the mantel clock on the bookshelf in the living room.
Fri Apr 10, 2026
Breakfast: I prepared for myself a veggie fritatta with carrot, spinach, mushroom, grated mixed cheeses, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, eggs; side of english muffin with unsalted butter; side of blueberries with local honey; hot water. Cleaned the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Lunch: spinach salad with sliced mushrooms and leftover buttermilk dressing; one sumo orange; hot water. Amputagged two old shirts because the tags itched. Cutting board wood butter treatment. Rode UberX to dinner with Patrick at Maria Isabel for a celebration. We selected the tasting menu without adding the caviar guacamole buñuelo but we did add the Espiritus de Mexico pairing of Mexican regional spirits. Today's tasting menu: Quelites Salad (shaved nopales, chayote, xoconostle sorbet, wild quelites from the Presidio, chicatanas), Smoked Mussel Sope (smoked mussels, avocado, chapulines salsa macha), Caldo De Pescado (black cod, shrimp and guajillo broth, hoja santa, charred baby corn), Duck Carnitas Enmolada (mole negro, mole manchamantales, mole verde, mole blanco), Gaonera Taco (dry-aged ribeye, blue corn tortilla, salsas), Conchita (smoked vanilla ice cream, banana cream, tamarind dulce de leche, candied pecans). The quelites salad was most unusual to us because of raspberry sorbet. At first it resembled a large radish, but as you eat, it melts, chilling the salad and providing a sweet contrast to the bittery greens. Moist cloth towels arrived. We learned later that these are to be used to clean the hands after the next course—not before. The smoked mussel sope which included grasshoppers is best eaten by hand instead of silverware, and it was tasty and beautifully shaped. Use your moist towels afterwards. The broth accompanying the caldo de pescado was poured at the table, and this was my favorite dish of the meal because the fish was flaky and moist with a perfect crust. The duck carnitas enmolada was presented with swipes of different moles which simplified the tasting of each. The gaonera taco was our least favorite dish because the soft taco broke easily. The conchita dessert reminded me of profiteroles, and the candied pecans were the best part of this dish. We also received a laignappe dessert with a lit candle for Patrick: something jello-y. Each of the drinks in the spirit pairing was presented with a brief explanation of the selection. All food and drink were delicious and were prepared and presented beautifully. Silverware was changed for every course. The tasting menu was $90 per person. The spirit pairing was $84 per person. Our bill came to just under $400. Timing between dishes was mixed and not quite as perfect as at Sorrel, but the delays were reasonable enough that we did not need to complain. We sat in the dining room to the left after entering. If we return we'll ask to sit in the dining room to the right, which seems much quieter. For part of the meal the sun was directly in my eyes, but it was not a problem enough to complain about since it lasted only a few minutes while the sun set. The entire restaurant seems thoughtfully and gorgeously designed, including the custom, wood-carved front door and the Laguiole steak knives. We highly recommend.
Sat Apr 11, 2026
Breakfast at home: leftover veggie fritatta, hot water. Processed important mail. Retrieved a heater and the rug cleaner from the garage. Wiped some of the outer stairwell steps with a microfiber towel to clean some mud that appeared following recent rain. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Installed macOS 26.4.1 on our MacBook Pros. Repaired with the sewing machine loose thread at the bottom of one leg on the sweatpants I recently altered. Pre-lunch: leftover creamy potato, leek, and fennel soup; hot water. Lightly vacuumed with the handheld vacuum. Lunch: leftover spaghetti with spinach in Better Cheddar cheese sauce, hot water. Recently I set up a shared grocery list and taught Patrick how to add items to it using his voice with Siri. Before this he managed the list via SMS and TextEdit. I recently discovered that leaf vacuums exist, and I'm so glad I didn't buy a leaf blower before discovering this. Shopped for leaf vacuums. Patrick and I made aviation cocktails and played Deluxe Scrabble while eating from a can of Trader Joe's Step Up To The Snack Bar mix. I won. Too full from snacks. I ate french fries from frozen with ketchup. We watched the remainder of Sheng Wang: Purple on Netflix then YouTube. Patrick ate cereal with milk. We watched YouTube including the remainder of SNL s51:e16 on YouTube. Patrick went to bed. I cleaned in the kitchen and started the dishwasher then went to bed.
Sun Apr 12, 2026
Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Installed iOS 26.4.1 on my iPhone 16 Pro. Breakfast at home with Patrick: 2 each cinnamon rolls from a tube to which Patrick added chopped pecans to the top of one each, coffee with milk. I cleaned in the kitchen and processed dishes. Scrubbed kitchen floor mats with dish soap solution. Washed the laundry room rug in the washing machine. Repaired the iron hanger aka iron holder which had been coming loose from the wall in the laundry room perhaps due to poor anchor adhesion. I used bigger anchors and the same screws. Took apart the mantel clock which had recently stopped working even after I changed the battery. A modern clock mechanism is inside, and it now seems to work reliably only if the clock is upside down. After taking it apart and dusting the inside it now seems to work right side up, but I don't think anything I did fixed it. I put it back together. There was trouble with one screw—the threads on the clock bottom seem to be malformed, but somehow it still holds together firmly despite this. It's back in working order for now. We'll see how long it lasts. I am not confident that it will be long. Successfully installed a Lutron XactSense Humidity Sensor Switch MS-HS3 for the fan in the north bathroom and another for the fan in the laundry room. It took much longer than it should have partly because in the laundry room I removed the wrong switch and then realized the error and then had to redo all my work and because the mounting box had a lot of wiggle and I had to make adjustments for that. In both rooms I also used the neutral wire. Showered. Cleaned the tub in the north bathroom. Cleaned the sink in the south bathroom. Late lunch: vegetable soup from a can, pita chips and taralli, water. Patrick and I walked to Cliff's Variety for greeting cards. He continued to another errand. I walked home. Prepared to make repairs to the brackets supporting the left curtain rod in the living room. Patrick returned home then later napped. Dinner at home with Patrick: matzo ball soup, pretzel stick with seasoned butter, hot water. Dessert: TJ's sweet bites. We watched YouTube including SNL s51:e17 then a short film called The Singers and I Changed My Mind with Dan Souza: I Changed My Mind with Dan Souza: Padma Lakshmi on Netflix then a few movie trailers on Apple TV. Patrick went to bed. I cleaned in the kitchen and started the dishwasher. Late snack: toasted sharp cheddar on 9-grain sourdough.
Mon Apr 13, 2026
Breakfast at home: leftover veggie fritatta, toasted english muffin with seasoned butter, blueberries with local honey and toasted and julienned coconut, hot water. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Walked and rode Muni to lunch at Turtle Tower: #6 and thai iced tea—delicious. Did a self-guided walking tour / photo walk of The Embarcadero using a book called Walking San Francisco that I bought in 2000. Walked and rode Muni home. Later Patrick and I watched I Changed My Mind with Dan Souza: I Changed My Mind with Dan Souza: Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka on Netflix with a cocktail of Patrick's creation and TJ's peanut butter pretzel bites. Dinner at home with Patrick: grilled cheese with creamy tomato soup, hot water. I cleaned in the kitchen. We watched Magic for Humans s1:e3 on Netflix then we finished watching Aaron Chen: Funny Garden. Patrick went to bed. I joined later.
Tue Apr 14, 2026
Breakfast at home with Patrick: Patrick ate oatmeal with fixins. I ate one small sliced banana with toasted and julienned coconut, flax meal, and roasted and slivered almonds. Hot water to drink. While emptying the dishwasher I noticed something in one of the holes of the upper spray arm. I used tweezers to extract it. It was a plastic label for a food product that somehow had made its way into the spray arm, jamming one hole. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Began repairs for the dishwasher's lower rack, which was showing some rusty spots. I used a product called ReRack (or possibly stylized as ReRACK) by Performix via Plasti Dip—a tiny bottle of white stuff and a mini paint brush under the cap—$12 instead of buying a new rack for perhaps $100. I laid newspaper down, placed the rack on top, cleaned affected areas with alcohol, and began painting, letting coats dry for 30 minutes before applying additional coats. Swept debris in front of the home following recent rain. Walked to errands and lunch with Patrick: post office, PO Plus, Cliff's Variety, the library. I briefly encountered Mark H and chatted briefly with him about health care before he continued to the grocery store. At Zona Rosa Patrick and I shared an enchiladas plate and an order of super nachos (which to me can serve 3 or 4 persons). Two horchatas. Walked home. I napped. Later we ordered delivery from Joyride Pizza via DoorDash: caesar salad, YOLO 'roni pepperoni regular pizza. Hot water to drink. Earlier today Patrick made a banana pie, and while watching YouTube he ate one slice. Recently we found that the recently installed humidity sensor in the bathroom is working as expected but the humidity sensor in the laundry room does not turn on quickly enough. I will try adjusting its settings but not until I receive some other parts that will help improve that switch panel. Too few dishes to start the dishwasher, and we want the ReRACK to have extra drying time, too. To bed.
Wed Apr 15, 2026
Breakfast: leftover veggie fritatta, hot water. Tax filing work. Financial tasks. Adjusted humidity sensor settings for the laundry room to be more sensitive. Vacuumed most of the lower level and all of the upper level. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Midmorning snack: one sumo orange. Lunch at home with Patrick: leftover Joyride YOLO 'roni pepperoni regular pizza, hot water. Cleaned the bathroom, cut my hair, showered, cleaned the bathroom. Midafternoon snack: prepackaged individual apple sauce. Later: Patrick made a cocktail of his own invention. Dinner: TJ's version of pork yakamein, hot water. I made Tom Collinses. We played Scrabble. I won. Patrick went to bed. Later I cleaned the kitchen and started the dishwasher.
Thu Apr 16, 2026
After last night's dishwasher run, the ReRACK repair seems to be successful. Breakfast: leftover veggie fritatta, hot water. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Lunch with a subset of The Syndicate. We had planned to eat at Santeria, but upon arriving we discovered that they don't open until 3:00 p.m. Instead we ate at Hi Tops. Breakfast burritos for JY, Scott T, and Andy. Chicken caesar salad for Scot B. I can't recall what Timmie D ate. I had a regular burger with fries and a lemonade. We talked about a science fiction short story that Timmie remembers from his childhood and which he is attempting to illustrate with AI, Project Hail Mary, Allbirds and their news announcing that shoes are out and AI infrastructure is in, Apple's 50th anniversary, Guerneville, AIDS Lifecycle, cocaine and where people put it, and more. Afterwards I walked with Scot to Cafe de Casa where he bought coffee to go then we split up. I walked home. Later I vacuumed the outer stairwell using our 12-year-old Miele S2121 Capri. I have been trying and failing to find an outdoor blower/vacuum that suits our needs. All the battery-operated ones seem to have significantly lower ratings than the corded ones, but we need small and battery-operated because I don't want to deal with cords on our stairs. Also, many of these kinds of tools seem to have gotten significantly more expensive perhaps due to the tariffs that began last year. Dinner at home with Patrick: fish filet sandwiches with fries, hot water. Afterwards we watched YouTube. Patrick went to bed early. I cleaned in the kitchen then shopped online for a leaf blower without a vacuum. Did research for shopping for undercabinet lights until nearly midnight. To bed.
Fri Apr 17, 2026
Breakfast: four-egg soft scrambled eggs with a hash made of shredded potatoes from frozen, sliced mushrooms, and spinach; hot water. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Patrick and I took down the left side of the living room draperies in order to make a repair to one of the ceiling brackets which had started to come loose. In the process, at least two and possibly three brackets broke, but due to previous experience I had ordered six replacements, so it wasn't a problem. We also did some touch-up painting of the walls in the living room and some other upper level areas. I also did a deep-clean of the draperies track and did some spot-cleaning of the draperies with dish soap solution like I did for the right side sometime last year. Lunch: Patrick had leftovers from last night, I had leftover TJ's version of yakamein. Water to drink. Walked and rode Muni to a doctor appointment. Met with Drew at the clinic to discuss recent business activities. Walked and rode Muni home. Because Muni stopped at Church Street Station and an announcement was made saying the train was delayed and would remain there for some time, I got out and walked on the street the rest of the way home. Along the way I encountered and briefly chatted with neighbor Dan: Germany, Austria, Hunky Jesus and Dolores Park on Easter, The Academy. Continued the draperies bracket repair. Dinner at home with Patrick: tuna mac n' cheese with veggies, hot water. Continued and completed the draperies bracket repair. Afterwards we played games on Amazon Luna on our iPad Air screenshared to the big TV: Who Wants To Be a Millionaire (Patrick won, and the game was laughably slow and awkward because it took so long to find out each correct answer) and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. For Indy, it took us a long time to figure out how to pair our PlayStation 5 DualSense controllers to the iPad, and once the game was working we stumbled a bit because we didn't know what buttons did what actions. (We hadn't read the game manual.) We played reasonably successfully for about 30 minutes. Patrick grew tired and went to bed. Afterwards I found the screen which shows a map of what controller buttons perform what actions and took a photo of it with my iPhone. Started the dishwasher. Cleaned the kitchen.
Sat Apr 18, 2026
Breakfast: one-egg and cheddar on toasted english muffin, hot water. Repaired hairline cracks along the left vertical edge of the sliding glass doors in the living room with Dap Wood Putty. Began removing old caulk and grout where the kitchen countertops meet the wall. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Lunch at home with Patrick: deli chipotle chicken breast and cheddar sandwich, hot water. Continued kitchen countertops old grout and caulk removal. Did some deep-cleaning of the tile backsplash behind the range. Helped Patrick add cork pads to the backs of art on our walls. Midafternoon snack: one sumo orange, water. Cleaned the half bath sink. Swapped two SnapPower MotionLights because one has a sensor that doesn't turn the light on until you're walking right next to it; it had always been like this since I installed it, but dealing with the company to return two GFCI MotionLights was so much trouble I decided to not try my luck. Swapping positions provided a better result in our case because one location doesn't have that much space in front of it anyway. Foot care. Printed the controller actions map for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Dinner at home with Patrick: TJ's pesto pizza with salad, hot water. I cleaned the kitchen. Afterwards we watched YouTube. Patrick went to bed. Plant maintenance. I started the dishwasher. Tested swapped MotionLights, and it's better now. I wouldn't buy SnapPower MotionLights again. When they work, they're nice, but they don't sense movement at a reasonable distance reliably every single time.
Sun Apr 19, 2026
Breakfast: 2-egg omelette with cheddar and carrot, hot water. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Folded laundry that Patrick had washed yesterday. Lunch: leftover spinach tuna mac and cheese to which I added more cheese sauce. Continued playing Wonderputt Forever on my iPad Air which I think I had begun a long time ago and never finished. Lunch dessert: a very small and thin slice of Italian bundt cake from TJ's. Filled small scars and hairline cracks in kitchen door frames with Dap wood putty. Afternoon snack: taralli, pita chips, water. Dinner at home with Patrick: Bi-Rite salad with warm bread, hot water. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Afterwards Patrick had a glass of red wine, and I had a cocktail of gin with pink grapefruit soda. We watched YouTube then Pluribus s1:e1 on Apple TV then The Simpsons s37:e6 on Hulu. Patrick went to bed. Google Meet chat with Dex and Lani. Late snack: applesauce from a plastic cup with a foil top.
Mon Apr 20, 2026
Breakfast: I baked cinnamon-cardamom blueberry muffins with lemon zest and ate three of them with a side of plain yogurt with cinnamon and candied ginger. Hot water to drink. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Cleaned the yoga mat and foam roller with dish soap solution and a microfiber towel. Lunch: leftover spinach tuna mac and cheese to which I added more cheese sauce. Started the dishwasher. Patrick's office art wall project: wall prep: cleaning with dish soap solution and filling holes with spackling, then later touch-up painting of the walls in the office, the lower level hallway, and the inside stairwell. Dinner at home with Patrick: mushroom quesadillas with a side of refried beans, hot water, red wine. Afterwards we played Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, this time from Chrome on my MacBook Pro mirrored to our television. There's an annoying sound delay just like with the iPad Air. We continued through several of the game segments. We watched 4x20 Quick Hits s1:e1 on Hulu. Patrick went to bed. Today I realized that the laundry room Lutron humidity sensor we installed isn't turning on soon enough even on the most sensitive setting, and so there's probably something wrong with either the fan or the vent. I remained up for a few more hours then went to bed.
Tue Apr 21, 2026
Folded laundry that Patrick had washed yesterday. Removed dried paint drips on the baseboard in the living room. Sam came over and he and Patrick and I breakfasted at Orphan Andy's. Sam had a polish dog and Diet Coke, Patrick had The Big 2 with pancakes and coffee with cream, I had a garden omelette with home fries and toast with chai tea. All food and drink were delicious. Afterwards Sam and Patrick went grocery shopping at Whole Foods. I continued the kitchen countertop improvement project. I continued and completed removing old grout and caulk from the countertop behind the faucet and the air gap. I cleaned the cleared lines. I caulked the left edge. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Later Patrick and I tested moving the air gap from the left side to the right side, but the tube connecting the air gap to the garbage disposal wasn't long enough, and I didn't want to do the work to resolve it. So we reinstalled the air gap then installed the soap dispenser. Later I noticed that crumbs from something—probably the toaster oven when it had been moved nearby—appeared on the wet caulk I had just laid, so after it dries I'll need to remove it and do it again. Later I realized that crumbs that had fallen out of the toaster were probably blown onto the caulk when I used a hair dryer to dry the holes in the countertop during the air gap switch hole trial and soap dispenser installation. Today Patrick baked cherry-marzipan turnovers, making the filling from almost-scratch and using puff pastry from frozen. Later we ate them for dinner along with sandwiches made from deli curried chicken salad. Hot water to drink. With red wine, we watched Pluribus s1:e2 on Apple TV then YouTube: Never Douche Again: The Ball Changing Bottoming Forever | Mini-doc via All Out with Jon Dean and Niki Harris & Donna De Lory Q&A After Madonna's Truth Or Dare at The Castro Theatre via Rob Doughty. Patrick went to bed. I processed dirty dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and started the dishwasher. I rescued the caulk job by removing the crumbs with tweezers then fine-tuned it by removing excess caulk with an X-acto knife. I think now that I won't have to remove it and start over.
Wed Apr 22, 2026
Tightened handle screws on kitchen doors and drawers. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. No breakfast. Walked and rode Muni to meet a subset of The Syndicate at Woodhouse Fish Company for their $17 lobster roll and fries special. Emery arrived first and got us a place in line. Everyone arrived before we entered, and I believe we luckily obtained the last two tables in the first seating. We were a party of six, and they sat us at a 4-top adjacent to a 2-top, not moving the tables together. Not ideal, but not the worst. Scott and Andy shared one lobster roll cold, one lobster roll hot, and one order of fries. Tim C had one lobster roll cold. I had one lobster roll hot. Scot B had ceviche with tortilla chips. Emery had a lobster roll hot for here and a lobster roll cold to go. Scot and Tim also each had a cup of clam chowder with crackers. Everyone drank wine in addition to water. All food and drink were delicious. Service was very good, considering that the place was packed. I had thought that the $17 anniversary special lobster roll came with either fries (as pictured on brokeassstuart.com) or potato chips (as pictured in the restaurant's own poster advertising the special), and I was a bit surprised to learn that it came with neither. Fries were $7. I sat at the 4-top with Tim, Emery, and Scot. Our bill came to just under $70 each. We talked about health issues, Apple, using AI to generate custom meal plans, Jou Jou, omakase, Maria Isabel, the shock of San Francisco restaurant prices after returning from travel, Atlantis and Vacaya, learning Spanish, gophers and voles, airline mileage points, airport lounges, Virginia's congressional redistricting map, genetics and seasickness and fear of heights, and more. Scott and Andy left a few minutes before the rest of us because they had received service earlier and so they had finished earlier, and Andy probably had to return to work. I walked with Scot and Emery to Lululemon where we shopped but didn't buy anything. They departed, then I did tour #28 Japantown and Fillmore in a 2000 copy of the book called Walking San Francisco. I did not feel inspired to take many photos. The Peace Pagoda is being renovated and is covered in scaffolding. I know the book is old, and several of the sites mentioned are no longer there or were boarded for construction. But at least I got a lot of walking. A bit of rain fell during my walk, and I ducked into the mall to avoid it. When I emerged the rain was sparse and light. I walked and rode Muni home, reencountering Tim C on his way to the farmer's market. I found Patrick taking a nap, and I joined him napping a while. Later, dinner at home with Patrick: Bi-Rite minestrone soup with warm bread, hot water. We watched Pluribus s1:e3 on Apple TV then JR De Guzman: I'm Your Son Papa on Amazon Prime Video. Patrick went to bed. Late snack: one sumo orange; one blueberry muffin, heated.
Thu Apr 23, 2026
Breakfast: one blueberry muffin, one cherry-marzipan turnover, both heated; hot water; milk. This morning Patrick made a new creation with apple, butterscotch, and pecans. He calls it a cross between rugelach and baklava. Midmorning we each ate one—yummy! Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Lunch: quarter leftover mushroom quesadilla, TJ's cherry-pistachio-pecan granola with blueberries and milk, hot water. Evaluated Wyrmwood's Modular Sit-Stand Desk. Made some technology purchases. Emptied the dishwasher. Dinner at home with Patrick: delivery from Lers Ros via DoorDash: fried rolls, pad see-ew, garlic rice with crispy chicken, vegetarian yellow curry, jasmine steamed rice, two thai iced teas. Afterwards I cleaned the kitchen then set up a new Apple TV 4K. We had been holding out for over a year in anticipation of a new model, but the latest news seems to indicate that it's not going to come until September 2026. Setup was easy with the One Home Screen option. We watched 4K demos on YouTube then Pluribus s1:e4 on Apple TV then YouTube. Patrick went to bed. I cleaned the kitchen and watched YouTube. To bed late.
Fri Apr 24, 2026
Breakfast: plain yogurt with flax meal, toasted coconut, roasted and slivered almonds; one blueberry muffin; hot water. Finance management. Lunch: leftovers from last night's dinner. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Shopped online for desks. Installed iPadOS 26.4.2 on my iPad Air and iOS 26.4.2 on my iPhone 16 Pro. Later I walked to Lobby Bar to meet Paul, Mark H, Jeff C, David M, and friends. A subset of The Syndicate (Galen, John B, Timmie D) were also there, and I stopped to say hello. I met Michael G, Brett, Robert, Mohammad, and Amal. Paul bought two orders of steak fries to share. After several rounds of drinks, some left, and a remainder of us (Paul, Jeff C, David M, Michael, and me) dined at Fable. We shared the citrus endive salad and the steamed mussels. David had (I think) ahi tuna. Michael had the chicken breast. Jeff had the pork chop. Paul and I shared the pork chop entree. Our servers were Lori and Sasha. All food and drink were delicious. The conversation was mostly about future travel—soon to London to see Everything But The Girl—and later to Morocco. Afterwards Michael and I walked Paul to Blush! then departed for home. A fine evening.
Sat Apr 25, 2026
Started the dishwasher. Breakfast: half sandwich: whole wheat with leftover curried chicken salad. Swept in front of the home. Removed a dried worm from the outer stairwell with dish soap solution and a brush. It's harder than you might think. The worm carcass sticks like glue. It took several minutes to remove. Recently I again set up the ironing board as a temporary desk. Sam and Patrick returned from martial arts practice and grocery shopping. We set up a new iPhone 17e for Sam. It took about 90 minutes because we had to upgrade the old phone to the latest iOS, unlock SIM protection on Sam's phone, and also set an account PIN for Patrick's account on our wireless provider's website. Afterwards the settings and data transfer from the old phone to the new phone wasn't straightforward because the new phone repeatedly failed to detect the old phone. Somehow it worked, I think by (temporarily?) accepting to use iCloud storage for the transfer—that part was unclear or didn't make sense to me. Eventually it was completed. Sam departed. Patrick and I ate lunch. Patrick had tamales. I prepared for myself beef ramen with spinach, mushroom, and TJ's surimi. Hot water to drink. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Shopped for desks online. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Dinner at home with Patrick: Patrick prepared pizza from store-bought pizza dough and mushrooms and fresh rosemary. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. We watched Pluribus s1:e5 on Apple TV. Poured boiling water down the bedroom bathroom sink drain to kill fruit flies growing in the drain. Shopped online for a fruit fly drain treatment. Continued and completed today's physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue.
Sun Apr 26, 2026
Pre-breakfast: half banana. Breakfast: I prepared for myself a two-egg omelette with spinach, mushrooms, and mixed grated cheeses; one turkey sausage patty; one hash brown; hot water. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Did more deep-cleaning of the range backsplash tile and the range hood. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Lunch at home with Patrick. Patrick ate a slice of leftover pizza from last night. I ate mini bean and cheese burritos using leftover beans from an earlier meal and mixed grated cheeses with sour cream. We had lettuce but I forgot to include it. Hot water to drink. Continued the undercabinet light replacement project. I installed two light fixtures: one between the sink and the range and the other above the sink. Patrick helped. I cleaned the kitchen and cleared tools. Later, I prepared dinner: TJ's sweet corn, burrata, and basil ravioli with TJ's limone alfredo sauce and grilled asparagus spears; red wine; hot water. We watched Pluribus s1:e6 on Apple TV. Patrick went to bed. I processed dirty dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and started the dishwasher. I helped Sam retrieve photos from his old iPhone SE (2020) by taking them off the phone and uploading them to my website and letting him download them from there. I prepared old fluorescent undercabinet light fixtures for sale or donation.
Mon Apr 27, 2026
Breakfast: plain yogurt with TJ's cherry-pistachio-pecan granola and sliced half banana, hot water. Unloaded the dishwasher. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Deep-cleaned the dish rack with Comet. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Lunch at home with Patrick. Patrick had soft-scrambled eggs and grilled asparagus. I had two small surimi wraps with lettuce and two dressings. Hot water to drink. I began using a new Husqvarna Leaf Blaster 350iB. While charging the battery, we noticed a strong and unpleasant smell coming from the charger, which incidentally has a fan that I guess dissipates heat. The smell was unpleasant, but not like rotten eggs or sulfur. It was strong enough that we had to open multiple doors to feel comfortable. The charger never felt hot to the touch. After some time, it finished charging. I removed the battery, and its bottom—only one side—felt only slightly warm. So I think the unpleasant smell is probably normal, and I expect it to dissipate over the first several charges. Later, dinner at home with Patrick: TJ's chicken teriyaki bowl with chinese pancake from frozen, hot water. We watched YouTube then Pluribus s1:e7 on Apple TV then Ivan Decker: Popcorn—very funny—on Amazon Prime Video. Patrick went to bed. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Late snack: one sumo orange, some TJ's garlic and onion pistachios, water.
Tue Apr 28, 2026
Breakfast: spinach and mushroom quesadillas with grated mixed cheeses, half banana, hot water. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Lunch: Patrick ate soft scrambled eggs with spinach in a tortilla. I skipped lunch. Continued the undercabinet light replacement project—the next one to install is above the dishwasher. Before starting, I realized that the mounting screws included with the fixtures was indeed long enough. I had thought it wasn't long enough and substituted longer screws, but today I realized that the original screws were the correct size. So I had to correct the mounting screws for the previous two fixtures we had installed. That took some time. Then, for today's new fixture install, I successfully removed the desired knockout, but then we ran into a hurdle: the wires weren't long enough to pass through and connect to the fixture. We took a break. Patrick napped. I continued troubleshooting solutions, which included setting up the ironing board on top of the counter to support the new fixture while I could see if there were a different way to resolve the problem. Later Patrick woke, and I cleared the kitchen of work tools so that he could prepare dinner. Dinner at home with Patrick: broccoli and cheese quesadillas with avocado, hot water. Afterwards I had a half glass of red wine. We watched Pluribus s1:e8 on Apple TV. More updates and backups for home devices. Encountered some issues for website updates and could not figure it out.
Wed Apr 29, 2026
Cleaned the south bathroom bathtub. Breakfast at home: plain yogurt with diced peach, flax meal, and toasted coconut; hot water. Walked to Cliff's Variety for removable labels and an ultra-fine point black Sharpie. Walked home. Unloaded the dishwasher. Patrick and I used a new leaf blower for the first time—a Husqvarna 350iB—to clear tree debris from our outer stairwell. The device is heavier than I'd like and probably more power than we need, but I'm okay with keeping it. It seems to do what we need well, though there is probably an art to understanding air dynamics. For example, we want the debris to go down the stairs, but occasionally some debris flies over our heads behind us. Finding ideal angles and directions for our stairwell will probably be learned with more time and experience. Afterwards I managed trash and recycling, breaking down the large box it came in, then swept the debris at the bottom of the stairwell and also leaves and rocks in front of the home. I shopped online for tools needed to continue the undercabinet light fixture project. Late lunch with Patrick. Patrick made an egg on english muffin sandwich with colby jack. I ate the remains of a beef croissant that he brought home from breakfast at Morning Due with his mom this morning, then I ate a nectarine. Hot water to drink for both. Physical therapy exercises to treat a minor back issue. Patrick and I walked to the farmer's market and bought some groceries. Then we walked to Bar 49 for two rounds of drinks and dinner. We shared caesar salad and shepherd's pie. Yummy! Walked home, stopping at a nearby liquor store for snacks. We watched Pluribus s1:e9 (season finale) on Apple TV then YouTube with snacks. Patrick went to bed. I cleaned the kitchen then joined Patrick not long after.
Thu Apr 30, 2026
Breakfast at home with Patrick: plain yogurt with sliced strawberries and mexican vanilla. Mine also included cacao nibs. Hot water to drink. Cleaned the bathroom, cut my hair, showered, cleaned the bathroom. Walked and rode Muni and back to a physical therapy appointment. Lunch with a subset of The Syndicate: Emery and Scot B. Emery had a burger with mac salad and Diet Coke. Scot had a greek omelette with english muffin and Coke Zero. I had a grilled chicken sandwich and water. Our server was Zavier (aka Z). We accidentally received the wrong check. It wasn't a big deal. Home. I washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Patrick arrived home from grocery shopping with Sam and unpacked groceries. Later I continued the undercabinet light replacement project. We had to re-affix the two lights we had installed so that they were flush against the back wall so that no wires were exposed. The one over the sink needed only to be moved back. The one between the sink and the range needed a new half-inch hole drilled into the fixture case, which I accomplished using a step drill bit (NEIKO 10194A Titanium Step Drill Bit, High-Speed Alloy-Steel Bit, Hole Expander for Wood and Metal, 10 Step Sizes from 1/4 Inch to 1 3/8 Inches) which worked well. After creating a starting point for the drill tip using a hammer and a small, skinny phillips head screwdriver, I needed to put a significant amount of pressure on the drill for it to work. It was slow to provide results at the start, but it got easier after the first quarter inch. The hole it created was perfectly 0.5 inches. A bit off-center from where I had thought it would turn out, but it was okay in my case. After the two lights were installed—properly this time—I patched holes in the undersides of the cabinets and resolved the other mistakes I made earlier with the screws that were too long by opening the cabinets, removing our items, sanding the humps that the too-long screws had created, and filled or coated them with wood putty. Tomorrow I will sand them and give them a light coat of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover matte clear. Later, dinner at home with Patrick: spring lettuce salad with roasted cauliflower and sliced strawberries, hot water. I processed dirty dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Patrick and I walked to Full Proof where we chatted with Brad and tasted some limoncello before buying it. We watched YouTube. Patrick went to bed. I processed more dirty dishes and again cleaned the kitchen. Instead of waiting until tomorrow, I decided that four hours was long enough for my wood filler to dry, so I sanded with 400 grit, cleaned with sponge, dried, and sprayed on the matte clear. After 20 minutes it was dry to the touch, looked fine, and the smell had dissipated enough for me to consider it done. I restored items to the cabinets. I taped then grouted the line where the countertop meets the backsplash from the left edge past the sink and to the range. It's not the best bead of caulk I have done, but it should keep water out. The long run was challenging to complete while the dishwasher was running (which generated heat and therefore reduced the tooling time). I also had to work past the three sink fixtures: air gap, faucet, and soap dispenser. At the very least the previous moldy grout is gone. Prepared another old fluorescent light fixture for sale or donation or disposal. Updates for websites. Successfully worked through some website update issues from the content management systems I use after a new post on Github provided more details. Late snack: TJ's kettle-cooked potato chips, one sumo orange. To bed very late.