May 30 - In Which I Recognize The Role That Work Fulfills In My Life But Am Still A Bit Sad That I Can't Just Do Whatever I Want

My ragged routine
improves when I'm doing work
Though play is more fun

May 29 - It's Probably Been Eight Years Since I've Travelled The UVic Trails, And I'm Missing That Stubby Little Body That Used To Lead Me Through

Dyson likes this walk
But I keep thinking of Jack
My Mystic Vale ghost

May 28 - The Hot Pink Fundraiser Gets Mom Thinking That Maybe It's Time To Shake Up The 2018 Reunion

Paul has come back home
We celebrate with burlesque
And 10 lamb dumplings

May 27 - Look At Me, Earning Enough Money To Feel Like Splurging On A Cinecenta Night. With Popcorn. Buttered.

First bits of work come
I wasn't worried, but still.
You can't live on air

May 26 - Few Things Are Better Than A Bicycle-Baby-Dog-Walk Combo Day, Although A Little More Warmth Would Be Appreciated

When I'm on my bike
I feel like my life's on track
Braced for bumps, flying

May 25 - Funny How You Remember Distances Differently When You've Been Away For A While

Big horse meets small girl
on the long walk to find pigs
Paul comes from Sidney

May 24 - These Transition Phases Never Get Any Easier

I'm out of context
Routines gone. Food changed. Even
my face feels all wrong

May 23 - We Partake In The Rather Peculiar Celebration of Victorian Pride Through The Annual Parade of American Marching Bands, Though It's Kind Of A Sweet Event When Returned To After Many Years

The clowns scare the men
Rosetta points. Zach texts. We
watch until the end

May 22 - Our Contingent Heads To The Sidney Aquarium And Then For Treats At The Best Bakery Of All

What does the eel see?
A snack? Or just a small child
startled by his face

May 21 - Zac And I Do Chinatown, Old Navy, and Then Collect Paul For A Lamb Feast With Perry, Rena and Max

A grandson arrives
We eat noodle soup and shop
Dinner in the 'hood

May 20 - Amazing How A Small Electronic Device Can Draw Your Whole Attention When It's New And Captivating

Should a new cell phone
take up as much time as this?
Novelty factor

May 19 - I End The Day Feeling Like I Spent A Lot Of Time In The Car

Three times to Oak Bay
Between dogs, moms and babies
it's a driving day

May 18 - Hanging Out At The Petting Zoo, Where The Lure Of The Small Goats Is Obscured By The Strutting And Ludicrously Beautiful Feathered Transplants

Raucous peacock calls
Rosetta jumps, then puts on
her dear "amazed" face

May 17 - Our First Formal Grandparent Daycare Day, Which Goes Remarkably Well

Rosebud meets Dyson
They get along, though his bark
startles her to tears

May 16 - Who Knew That One Day I'd Come To Appreciate The Benefits Of A Colder Climate?

Goose bumps make me smile
I'm loving the cold, fresh air,
my heat rash vanquished

May 15 - First Day Of The New Life, Channelling Cesar Milan As Much As Possible

Both R and the dog
need time to warm up to us
Dyson eats chicken

May 14 - For The First Time Ever The Long Flight Home From Afar Lands Us In Victoria At A Bright And Cheery 7:20 P.M.

Twelve hours in planes
is never fun. But we're home
in time for cold beer

May 13 - We Pack A Whole Lot Into Our Final Hours

All-things-Nica day:
Haircut. Bank lineup. Cigars
Diabla dinner

May 12 - In Which Rosita Makes A Huge And Delicious Platter Of Fried Pork As The Highlight To A Wildly Diverse Final Day At Work

Chancho and yucca
Then it's off to the print shop
Before beer & bitch

May 11 - The Strange Things You Do When A Big Deadline Is Pressing In On You

We leave in two days
So we're shopping at the mall
Paul finds two nice shirts

May 10 - This Has Been A Really Nice House In A Really Nice 'Hood, But So It Goes When You're Always On The Move

The landlord arrives
And it all feels so final
Hold our spot, Ivonne

May 9 - Me And Three World-Weary Computers Alone In The Office, Naively Imagining Better Days Ahead Through Religious Application Of Free Cleanup Programs

Where's the "Run" command?
I'm lost, and out of control
Buried in bad bugs

May 8 - Gage Isn't Going To Believe That I Chucked The "Every Which Way" Shirt

Grungy Ts, be gone
I'm packing for a new land
Counting on less sweat

May 7 - Managua Carnaval Is A Lot More Fun Once We Leave The Stands And Head Toward The Dancing Bands Waiting Their Turn

Parade's a bit lame
The fun's closer to Hugo
Where dancers rehearse

May 6 - The Rains Create A Few Issues, But It's A Small Price To Pay For The Incomparable Beauty Of Precipitation In An Arid Land

Streetlights strobe, confused
by dark skies. My butt gets soaked
in the wet bus seat

May 5 - The Deadline People Finally Awake To The Reality That There Is Only Days Left To Eat EverywhereThey Wanted To Eat Before Leaving

Ribs tonight; later
we'll cross "burgers" from the list
Count down to leaving

May 4 - The Desk-Clearing Is Underway As I Feel Myself Fading From One Life Into Another

Ends are always thus
No show-stoppers. No big songs
Just dust and old notes

May 3 - I Have A New Appreciation For Just How Hard It Can Be To Print A Double-Sided Brochure Of Half-Page-Size Paper In The Right Order, On A Printer That Doesn't Do Double-Sided Printing

There are people who
could print this thing in a flash
I'm not one of them

May 2 - In Fact It's Too Hot To Strap On The Accordion But I Can't Let This Chance Go By To Sing Knowing That No One's Listening

Eduardo's not home
I test my growing song list
Bolder when unheard

May 1 - And To Think That I've Always Longed To See The Laguna Completely Still, Albeit Never Fully Grasping That Such A Thing Could Only Happen In The Absence Of All Breezes

Restless sleep, one thought:
Can't do two nights in this bed
Home before the rain

April 30 - A Final Weekend At Laguna De Apoyo, Where Hostel Paradiso Looks Like A German-Scandinavian Retreat

The baby turns one
We are far away, swimming
with Europeans