Category: blog

After I moved house, one of my goals in setting up a new workspace was to have a desk I actually used. I had tried the laptop-connected-to-a-monitor thing and it just didn’t work that well. So I found a small PC that could mount behind a monitor and then I hung the monitor on an arm so nothing would be on my desk except for a keyboard and mouse. This way I could have a clear desk that wasn’t taken up by computer stuff.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been working to put a large project to bed. What started when a potential client contacted me about producing an ebook ended with the development of a combined ebook and PDF build system that saved a bunch of time when last minute changes were needed. This project built on what I learned from a previous project where I paired an overly-complicated makefile with Pandoc to generate an ebook in French.

Warning: This is a therapy post. I’m currently sitting in a mess. Literally. I estimate that I’m about 30% done with a move that will happen in a few days. The mess that surrounds me is the things that haven’t yet made it into a box or bag. And that’s the problem. As I look around at this mess laid bare, I can help but think of how it’s weighed on my mind over the last four years that I’ve lived in this apartment.

Dateline: Phoenix, Arizona—07 Apr. 2017 The pull of old habits is strong. Once I was home, it was a simple matter of falling back into the same routine I had before the trip. So at long last, let me catch you up with how the trip home went. This is how March 21st went. The best laid plans... From the moment I woke up, all my plans for the day went out the window.

Dateline: Tbilisi, Georgia—20 Mar. 2017 I spent my last day here exploring parts of Tbilisi that I haven't been to. All my stuff is packed, and I'll be getting a ride to the airport at 4 a.m. This morning I went back across the Dry Bridge to the Public Service Hall. This is the central government building that puts most things citizens might need in one place. I started out by checking on what's needed to establish permanent residency.

Dateline: Tbilisi, Georgia—19 Mar. 2017 My biggest accomplishment today was getting out of the house for food. I woke up with swollen feet, and decided to stay off them as much as possible. I did venture out twice, both times to the market. Other than that, I stayed in and did language lessons and watched the Russian SciFi channel. The rain cleared up, and it was a cool and sunny day.

Dateline: Tbilisi, Georgia—18 Mar. 2017 Today I did some inadvertent planning ahead. I also started out by looking for breakfast and made what might have been the biggest mistake of the trip so far. The search for яйца This morning I wanted a sit-down breakfast with eggs and sausage. I learned two things while searching: it’s good to want things, and that sort of breakfast restaurant doesn’t exist in the area I’m in.

Dateline: Gori, Georgia—17 Mar. 2017 (Another day-late post, as I was too tired to write last night.) I didn’t do my usual night before travel packing since I wasn’t taking scheduled transit to Tbilisi. So I planned on a lazy morning and it worked out perfectly. My hosts brought down breakfast and we planned for Ilya to take me to the bus station around 11 a.m. After eating, I took my time packing and made sure my iPad was charged up.

Dateline: Gori, Georgia—16 Mar. 2017 Today was my only full day in Gori so I decided to make the most of it. I visited two museums and climbed up to a fortress. The one thing a visitor needs to know about Gori is that the history of Josef Stalin looms large over the city. Breakfast One upsell that Booking.com adds to some properties is an option to prepay for breakfast.

Dateline: Gori, Georgia—15 Mar. 2017 (Note: I'm writing this the following morning. I was too tired to write last evening.) I woke up to another slow drizzle this morning. It may have rained most of the night, as the puddles were much bigger. I did most of my packing the night before. Upon waking up, it was just a matter of getting dressed and loading my cubes into the pack. Having spent four nights in the same room I had spread out my stuff a bit more than usual, but the cubes have earned their keep.