Saturday, April 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.