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A Saturday morning here & it feels like house arrest or perhaps held hostage inside due to the weather. I am positioned comfortably in the solarium, about 3-4 metres east of the conservatory and the major painting studio this morning.

WE MISSED YOU YESTERDAY. WHAT WENT ON ?

Well Nancy, a planned golf outing with Clay, transitioning between ‘buddy’, to ‘consultant’ and perhaps finally to ‘literary agent’, was scuttled again due to the weather. Neither shocked nor surprised and it was easy enough to ‘retool’ the plan especially on the 13th which happened to be a Friday.

I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE SUPERSTITIOUS. THAT’S WORSHIPING ‘FALSE GODS’ YOU KNOW.

No it’s not.

Observing something or ANYTHING I so NOT the same as worshiping. I consider it a habit and not bad and from time to time perhaps even good.

WHEN DID THIS BEGIN ?

Playing hockey. ALWAYS put on the LEFT skate, shin & elbow pads and glove first before the right.

A lot of players do it that way. Seems to protect from injury.

OH, SO IT’S A RITUAL THEN ?

No, no, no. Please refrain from the labels as time is precious once again and I do have things to do and I want to accomplish.

One of my pet peeves is these 'labels' of convenience. Favs ...

'Oh, you're 'into' biking ?' ... NO. I like to ride A bike and it is an interest. NOT familiar with YOUR definition of 'into' is.

'I see you're into running now?' ... again no. I run rarely now to preserve my joints but more importantly to increase bone density.

I SEE that you LOVE to LUMP things together under a blanket label of convenience and have either forgotten or LOST the art of communicating relying exclusively on 'social media' skills only.

So sad for you.

So yesterday on a trip out I ended up in Allen for a couple of stops. First was to Rodi’s to pick up my extra power supplies I ordered so I could move the laptop around without lugging the power cord. I DID NOT want a ‘workstation’ and only expect to work on this super-fine machine in four (4) places within the mansion ever. So I am almost set there.

Lacking one (1) power supply from filling the order and this morning discovered one half of the cable is missing on BOTH. Very frustrating.

Second stop was APL and begin another language course. Toying with the idea of travelling to Slovenia in June for a bike adventure. Very early stages but not too soon to learn some Slovene. I thought it was going to be as easy as Ukrainian or at least similar but not so. The program for whatever reason is not set up to learn as ‘friendly’. I do have Slovene on another language cd here in the library but again the Ukrainian was simple & easy at APL and NOT easily accessible on the home cd so square one beckons on this little ‘project’ growing in complexity.

While at APL, I checked out the new X-files season on dvd. Watched 2 episodes last night before nodding out in armchair I (one). Kind of quirky and will need to rewatch the second episode because I can AND think I missed something(s) of importance.

This morning it is too chilly and windy for a training ride. I did ride yesterday between rain showers in the afternoon as the sun did come out and it got very warm but I can already tell not today.

I read some Jungle of Stone this morning while the wind howled. The fortress is still and quiet except for the raging wind. The sun shines and it is warmer in fleece sweats and a big, bulky black sweater.

The wind whipping the trees and the combination of sunshine thru the branches is creating dancing shadows in the rooms the sunlight filters into.

Jungle of Stone is a terrific read btw. So much so it is inspiring me for the next trip to Mexico. The plan is to fly into Merida and explore ruins & sites on the western side of the peninsula from there. And there are many.

One issue requiring addressing will be language. Avoiding the Cancun fiasco which has dropped in safety & security lately necessitates more Spanish speaking skills. Also taking taxis v renting a vehicle will reduce cost(s) and risks while increasing safety but must, MUST speak with some local & native savvy.

The night before got together with S1 aka Br12 for dinner out and watch some Stanley cup playoff games. I learned & it turns out he played pickup with Stefan Noeson of the NJ Devils at ITC in Richardson.

Turns out Noeson is from Plano and there are youtube videos of him dropping the gloves.

Br12 said he set him up for a goal and he reciprocated but I am THINKING under the circumstances NJD23 could score anytime and Br12 said an ‘assist’ was just touching the puck and getting it to him.

He also played for the Ducks for a short stint before the signing with the Devils. Pretty cool.

It is similar to watching the professional golfers at the Colonial. It's the same game alright but the skill level and ability is so far above that it is almost unbelievable to describe and comprehend. Professionals truly are on another level and seeing close up is amazing, actually becomes believing and with it the realization that attaining such a level is nearly always a 'life-time' of effort PLUS a measure of something called luck sometimes.

WHAT ABOUT THE TRIP REPORT ?

I am ALMOST glad you axed but not really.

It has been started and I encountered some obstacles so stalled for now. I was reviewing the pictures taken and suddenly the project expanded 10x. BSL is a cool & hip little place and spinning it up to NatGeo levels will be taking a little longer than expected. When it is completed, you will be the first to know. Stay tuned.

That’s about it I guess. Tiring, getting and needing some breakfast for the remainder of the day. I am wanting to paint and carve to build inventory. Four (4) tropical fish and a shorebird to paint and four (4) different shorebirds & a hummingbird to do the fine detail surface work of feather groups.

There is also a gwt that needs only minor work on the bill before I can start painting that little guy.

Respectively.