Life – Page 3 – Tracy Tran

Life

Quarantine Times

Well here we are. It’s August, but really it’s been several lifetimes since my last post.Â Pandemic,Â protests for racial justice… election madness… can 2020 just be over plz? Nope, seems like we’re just going to be in it for a while longer. The start of the protests in Philly were scary, with protesters being teargassed,Â vigilantes coming out in my neighborhood,Â and being kept up at night by ATMs being blown up. That has all died down, and recent protests have been peaceful here. Our own lives are fairly quiet and isolated, but I do think that we are slowly going insane.

March

Sometimes I think about the last time I did something “normal.” My last concerts before lockdown were Of Montreal and Destroyer. Ah, simpler times. Bernie was still a candidate then! Doesn’t that sound like forever ago?

The last dinner out we had before lockdown was Laser Wolf. There’s been a lot of hype around this opening, and I’d say it’s justified. It’s at the end of our block, and they’ve been doing a lot of takeout lately, so it’s funny, it feels more like one of our casual neighborhood spots than anything super hip or exciting.

And then lockdown started. Commence the hoarding.

April

It rains heavily and often here, which I actually like a lot. San Francisco didn’t have true thunderstorms. There are some unfortunate side effects, however. It was maybe around April when I started taking pictures of trees that had toppled over in my neighborhood. The storms are also deadly to the local wildlife, which is something that I’ve never noticed anywhere else I’ve lived. On my daily walks with Bogie we frequently come across dead baby birds all over the sidewalk.Â Sad.

May

In May our close friend and occasional roommate Pravi moved out and joined the army. I felt ineffable sadness that things hadn’t worked out for her in Philadelphia, but a large part of that was just being reminded of how lonely I am out here. Later she told me that she saw this stint as a transition period. Mostly she had just needed to get out of the Bay Area. That helped me reframe things a little. Things hadn’t worked out, but that was never really the intent. At least Ryan and I were able to be good friends to her and help her move along in life.

The same week our friend left, I started a new job. It’s with a fully remote company, which was one of my career goals! Everyone is super nice and so far I’ve been impressed with how the company is run, and how they’ve handled things during this time of upheaval. They ended up on Inc’sÂ 2020 Best Workplaces list, which lead to a lot of people messaging me on LinkedIn asking for a job.

There is a lot of autonomy and they’ve tried to slash meetings since folks are taking care of kids and whatnot, but it does make for a lonely start as a newcomer (see a theme here?). It’s hard to make strong coworker connections completely remotely. I was looking forward to meeting everyone at our retreat in September, but that got rescheduled to September 2021😞. I think if we weren’t sheltering in place, then it wouldn’t be so bad because I could get social interaction elsewhere.

We installed a custom made ladder to the roof. We now have roof access! Really thankful for all the outdoor space in this house – balcony, roof, backyard.

Oh, and the basement flooded. That was novel. Thankfully nothing was seriously ruined. Things were just musty for a few days.

Ryan’s garden flourished, but the yield left something to be desired. STILL WAITING ON MY POTATOES.

June

State run booze shops closed during the shelter in place

Bike cops going for a spin through Fishtown

Truck blocking off a few blocks of Spring Garden St

In June most stores boarded up to avoid looting and vandalism. I was pleased to see all the black owned businesses in my neighborhood, but it started to remind me of 9/11, when my dad put up an American flag sticker on his Jeep because he was worried his car would be vandalized.

For a few weeks, the police set up a command center in a strip club parking lot that I pass on my runs. There were dozens of police on bikes, buses, tanks, etc. It was super weird and lent an ominous feeling to the area. Then one day, it was all gone, just like that.

July

I buzzed my head. When on occasion people ask why, I say something like “Oh I’ve been cutting my hair myself since March, and this time it all went wrong, so buzz buzz.” When I said this to a TSA agent last week he said to me “Instead of saying it all went wrong, you should say it all went right. Looks good!” Isn’t that sweet?

For the summer I’m mentoring a Bay Area high school student through a nonprofit that posted on a programming website I read. The program is supposed to empower underprivileged youth with a growth mindset and help them get a leg up on college apps. So there’s a provided curriculum and a summer project. My role is to check in via videocalls every other week, and provide guidance where I can. Mentoring is one those things I’ve always said that I wanted to do. I’m glad that I’m trying it, but I don’t know if I’m actually being helpful or effective to my mentee. Not sure I’d do it again.

The street finally looks normal, which is to say MUCH BETTER.

I finally got off my butt and cleaned up the sidewalk outside of my apartment, which was littered with everything from dirty diapers to used drug needles. It looked like a normal sidewalk for about 5 hours, before it was hit with trash tumbleweeds again. Thx Philly. Never change. Currently the city’s trash problem is even worse than normal . Lots of the sanitation workers are out with coronavirus, and the level of trash is up something like 25%. For a while pickups were running nearly a week late, and we haven’t had recycling pickup in 3 weeks. Sigh.

Just got back from closing out my San Francisco apartment. One roommate wanted to move out, and then the other two found a great deal on a new place due to pandemic pricing. It was bittersweet, but it was time. Maybe I’ll write some more about it once I’ve processed. Au revoir 14th st!

July 1 marked one year in Philadelphia. On good days, I think “This city is alive and has lots of opportunity for all types of people. It’s gritty, it’s real. It’s nice to see people of all ages, and not just tech bros in their 20s and 30s.” On bad days I think “This city thinks it’s hot shit, but really it’s a backwards shithole.” At this point, I feel like this city ticks off a bunch of things that I want “on paper,” but I do not vibe with the soul of the city AT ALL. If anything, I am actively repelled by the Philly stereotype – aggressive yet lovable assholes who love sports and do whatever they want because anything goes when there are no repercussions for bad behavior. This Eagles t-shirt illustrates the attitude, ugh.

Ok so for my anniversary I’ll try to end with something positive.

Top 10 things I like about living in Philadelphia so far

Mutter museum and Eastern State Penitentiary. I love me some medical museums and prisons, so these two places were the #1 selling point to me for Philadelphia. Unfortunately, I’ve only been to both once this year. I think maybe I would be happier if I visited the megacolon more often.
A+ coffee town. From Reanimator to La Colombe to Elixr, there’s so many good options. I don’t take that for granted. And you know what, I love Dunkin’ too.
Great brewery scene. Cocktails, not so much, but at least you can buy them to go now.
Food scene is solid, vegan options are great, bar food is exceptional. I now have a few go to places, including an Indian place, local vegetarian fast food joint, and a vegan Chinese spot. Still have yet to find a decent burrito here, but I can dream.
Wonderful murals everywhere.Â Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program. According to their site, there are currently about 3,600 murals in the city.
Living in a house is nice. Having pets is nice. I love Bogie and Seymour both very much, and my days are better with them.
The Philadelphia Opera company seems pretty dynamic, with a digital festival, Opera in the Park, and the Opera Philadelphia Channel. I should get more involved once things open up again.
There is a neighborhood / community feel that I appreciate. People are friendly and chatty in general. I honestly don’t know how to reconcile this observation with the generally high level of aggression and negativity in all other aspects of life.
Lots of little cemeteries, public gardens, neighborhood parks (Penn Treaty, Palmer, Liberty Lands, Hancock Park…), dog parks (Orianna, Piazza, Palmer Doggie Depot…). It’s also cool to see all of the former factories, churches, and schools that have been converted into housing.
Probably my favorite thing about Philadelphia is running in the city. It’s kind of the inverse of San Francisco’s constant 60 degrees and hilly. It’s incredibly flat with more intense weather. Running in the cold, in the rain, in the heat sounds miserable, and it is, but it’s definitely made me a stronger runner. And starting from my neighborhood, I can have lots of different run experiences. If I go in one direction, I’m running in a vast wasteland, past overgrown lots, endless construction, stables… If I go another way, it’s cute leafy neighborhoods. And then most often, I run by the river all the way down to the historical part of the city.

Life

2020 So Far

What a decade itâ€™s been already! This isnâ€™t going to be in depth, but hereâ€™s what Iâ€™ve been up to lately.

SOCIAL

Ryan and I joined a social bowling league. It was just for fun, but once we started playing, our competitive sides came out 😃 I’ve been watching tons of YouTube videos and trying not to suck.

We spent our Valentine’s day practicing so we wouldn’t embarrass ourselves at the next game

I’ve made a couple of friends in Philly, which is progress!

After a series of unfortunate events, we had to stage an intervention with our friend about her drinking problem. That was tough, but necessary. She’s been having a hard time in life, and trying to help her sort things out was starting to affect me. So I’m trying my best to be supportive but also keep a healthy emotional distance from the drama.

WORK

I got laid off at the end of January. Iâ€™m totally fine. Iâ€™ve been coding for fun again, which has been great.

HOUSE

Oh, we got solar installed. We now have roof access! The roof is unfinished but usable. Looking forward to hanging out up there once the weather warms up.

WHAT ELSE… OH YEAH CAT

As I detailed in my last post, I finally made my long time dream come true and adopted a cat. Heâ€™s really wonderful and sweet, but Iâ€™m having a hell of a time coming up with a nickname for him… Bogie has so many great nicknamesâ€¦ Bogu, Bud (his shelter name), Bogs, Bogie Butt, Mr. Butt, Bogie Smalls, Sir Bogingsworth of Buttingham Palaceâ€¦ but I just canâ€™t think of anything for Seymour. Itâ€™s such a serious name! Sy? Is that a nickname? Meh.

VEGAN…ISH

So I did my annual 30 days of yoga / vegan thing, and this time Iâ€™m trying to keep it up as best I can. Basically, I watched the pro-animal rights doc Dominion (voiceover by Joaquin Phoenix and friendsâ€¦), and that did it. If you want to go vegan, watch that doc. It will give you nightmares and make you sick.

Iâ€™ve always known that I wanted to stop eating meat, and I donâ€™t even like cow milk. But the eggsâ€¦ I was more wishy washy. Youâ€™re just taking an animal byproduct right? Is it a big deal?

Well, Iâ€™ll admit I never thought about the fate of the male chicks. What happens to them? There were plenty of visceral images in the doc, but watching piles of male chicks fall en masse into a whirring macerator to become dog food, or being gassed in little gas chambers was what stuck with me most. Seeing hens stuck living in their cramped cages next to decaying corpses melting into the ground, or falling below the cages and slowly dying of hunger trapped in piles of chicken poop… yeah…I donâ€™t like eggs THAT much. Factory farming is messed up.

That said, I want to be successful. So Iâ€™m trying for 90% vegan. Iâ€™ve had two meals in the past 2 months that had meat, which Iâ€™m fine with. And I’m still going to eat the many tins of canned fish I have in reserve. Thankfully Philly is actually really vegan-friendly (who knew?) so it’s not hard at all when out and about. And I’ve lost 5 lbs and my skin looks great, so maybe vanity will keep me going whenever I’m tempted.

Anyways, that’s it for me. Hopefully the next few months will be more calm, but we’ll see. 🙂

Life

My Cat Adoption Story

When I moved to San Francisco I had to re-home my cat Catullus. He went to my Uncle Mao, so I know that he had a good life. But I’ve wanted another cat ever since. In fact, I remember in a therapy session maybe about eight years ago, my therapist asked me what I wanted out of life. All I wanted was a job that I enjoy that pays well, and a cat.

One perk of moving to Philadelphia was that Ryan and I would be able to get pets without worrying about landlord issues. Bogie came to us by chance on a visit to the SPCA on our very first day in Philly. We saw him, we met him, filled out paperwork, and we had adopted a puppy in a few hours. When I asked about getting a cat as well (I fell for a few hard that day…), the SPCA suggested waiting until Bogie was older, so that he would have training and impulse control.Â Bogie is 10 months old now, so it seemed like now or never as far as adding another animal to the family.

I’d been creeping on Petfinder on and off since April of last year, and a few weeks ago I started looking again in earnest. Ryan wanted me to consider getting a kitten so that it would grow up with Bogie, but my dream was to rescue a fat male adult orange tabby who was especially sweet.

I found a few rescue cats that I was interested in, but I wanted to meet them in person instead of applying first. Why invest all the time passing adoption screening when you haven’t even met the cat yet? So I decided to hit up the shelters on February 1 (Saturday). Philadelphia being the sports crazy town it is, the shelters were running a Super Bowl pet adoption promotion – $25 off adoptions at the SPCA, and all adoptions FREE at ACCT. I guess the promotion worked, because the SPCA and ACCT were pretty bare compared to when I’d last visited in July. I didn’t have a love connection with any cat, and surprisingly went home empty handed.

That afternoon I applied for a cute kitten named Max. The adoption application took about 30 minutes, which was a surprise to me. They wanted me to describe my situation (rent or own, do the windows have screens, backyard?, who lives in the house, how old is everyone, any dogs?, what are their personalities and training history, list your past pets and how they died…) explain what I’d do in so many various scenarios (have to move, get pregnant, lose job, etc). And they wanted to inspect my house, call 3 character references, and my vet.

The rescue was a volunteer operation, so I didn’t hear anything back for a few days. Several days later (Monday) I had to go downtown to get my laptop fixed. Afterwards, since I had kitty fever, I visited Morris Animal Refuge, which claims to be America’s first animal shelter.

I met this absolute cutie named Sebastian, but it wasn’t a good fit. He had been surrendered by his owner for playing too violently with his kitty sister, and was not dog friendly at all. He even hissed at a dog that passed by his cage.

While I was there, I was trying to chat up a lady that came after me, who was just looking for “a cat.” She saw me playing with Sebastian, and met him right after me. When I went to pet him again, I heard her in the background talking to the adoptions officer. She was interested in adopting Sebastian, and the officer explained that adoptions wereÂ “first come, first serve.” I stepped into the lobby to find her furiously filling out paperwork. I asked her if she’d “fallen in love.” She said yes, but she wouldn’t tell me which cat it was. She was trying to adopt that cat from right out under me!! It was hilarious. And cut-throat, really.

When I got home, I applied for another cat I was interested in – Sir Walter. He was a snuggly fat orange cat who was ok with dogs. Bingo! And unlike a kitten, I was really saving a life.

The cat rescue got him from ACCT, where he was surrendered by his previous owner. His original name was “Fat Cat” and heÂ was 6 years old, 17 pounds, flea-infested with matted fur, not microchipped, and had never seen a vet. The owner even thought the cat was female! The owner took him in when a neighbor left him out on the street when they moved. After two years, the owner had to move as well, and couldn’t keep him.

The application took me about 40 minutes to complete, but the rescue that was fostering him (Whiskers of Love) was much more responsive, and I heard back that day that my application would be processed in 24 hours.

The next day (Tuesday) I was approved! I could go meet him a few days later, and if it was a match, bring him home. So I withdrew my application for Max.

Friday Ryan and I took a Lyft about 30 minutes out to a pet store in Northeast Philadelphia. We met Sir Walter, and that was it. He was just as sweet and docile as could be. They had him on a cat harness, and we walked him around the shop! I knew that he was just right for our family.

We’ve had him for three days now, and he’s been great. Totally chill with Bogie, and very quiet, doesn’t meow at all (Bogie doesn’t bark at all either, super weird). He just loafs around and purrs. He never complains, even when you’re washing him. You can pick him up, put him in your lap, and he’ll just stay there for endless pets. I love him already. I went back and forth on names for a few days (because Sir Walter was REALLY good), but have decided on Seymour. He’s named after another chubby yet gentle ginger – Philip Seymour Hoffman. 🙂

Oh, last point – I was pretty hesitant about adopting through a cat rescue, worrying that I wouldn’t make it through the picky adoption screening gauntlet, but Whiskers of Love was great. The foster mom really knew a lot about his personality, and when I had litter box troubles a few days later, they were quick to help with more info. Would use them again, but I don’t think Ryan would let me have ANOTHER cat, lol.

Bogie, Life

Bogie Gets High

A couple of weeks ago we had our first puppy emergency. It started as just another Saturday, full of Saturday activities. Bogie had his last day of puppy training, and received his certificate (so proud).

After training we went for a walk through the neighborhood and ate lunch outside at a taco spot weâ€™d been eyeing for a while (Side note: If your tagline is “Tacos that don’t suck” your tacos probably suck).

Bogie was well behaved at the restaurant, which was a little unusual. Normally heâ€™d want to meet everyone for pets and poke around below the tables to look for scraps. However weâ€™d been out for a few hours so we figured that he was just tired. It was also nice to be able to focus on our lunch and not have to constantly be watching him.

Immediately when we got home, he started acting funny. He was a bit wobbly on his feet, and looked tired. He was having a hard time walking, so we put him to bed. As he lay there, his body kept swaying back and forth, like he was on a boat. His eyes were glazed over, but scared.

I was tired from the long day, so I was hoping that he was just dehydrated or something. But then he started peeing all over himself. Thereâ€™s no ignoring that :(.

It was 3pm, and our neighborhood vet had just closed, so Ryan called the next closest vet, which closed at 4. Since Bogie couldn’t walk very well, we decided to throw him in a tote bag, like we did back when he was little. He’s over 30 pounds now, so the only one that he would fit in was a massive handmade tote my friend Brittani had made me. Really need to get him a proper carrier, but he just keeps growing and growing…

During the intake session, Ryan noticed some blood on his arm. Then there were drops of blood on the bench we were sitting on. I started freaking out, but turns out that it wasnâ€™t Bogieâ€™s blood, a tiny scratch was bleeding like crazy from my arm. I grabbed a tissue and tried to stop the bleeding for the next five minutes. Ridiculous.

Anyways, after the consultation and an exam, the vet suggested that Bogieâ€™s symptoms fit with marijuana ingestion! The team there were very sweet and reassuring, but I felt like they were pointing the finger at us a bit. No, we did not give our dog weed. No, we donâ€™t know where he might have encountered it. We live in Kensington, so he probably just ate a blunt on the sidewalk. Unfortunately there was no more that they could do for us since they werenâ€™t open 24 hours. So they referred us to another animal hospital.

We then hopped in a Lyft and went a few miles further south to the emergency center. The vibe was a little different there. Once we told reception what had happened, they started making marijuana jokes, which sounds mean, but was strangely comforting. Like, okay, maybe everythingâ€™s going to be all right. We can joke about this. My dog is probably just high. Partied too hard after puppy class graduation, and just needs a stern talking to.

During intake, they asked how old Bogie was. It was October 5, and we said â€œfive and a half months.â€ When they entered that information, the software suggested 4/20/2019 as his birthday. Canâ€™t make this stuff up, really.

We waited for quite a while in the waiting room. I kept eyeballing some ranch chips in the vending machine, but was ultimately too afraid to try them. Every now and then a dog would have an accident, and a vet tech would come out to spray it down. So. Much. Pee.

The Devil Wears Prada was playing in the background, and one of the vet techs complained that with all the commercials, the movie had been on for hours. When would it end? Ryan didn’t have the heart to tell her she still had a few more hours to go.

Unfortunately we were witness to a few real emergencies. A woman rushed into the hospital with a badly injured German Shepard puppy in her arms. She was wearing a white shirt, and was covered all over in bright red blood. Apparently the puppy had been attacked by another dog. A few minutes later the womanâ€™s mother and young daughter came in, and the daughter really didnâ€™t know what was going on. â€œWhereâ€™s the puppy mommy?â€, â€œWhatâ€™s on your shirt mommy?.â€ Heartbreaking, but maybe it’s good that the little girl didn’t have a clue. It was grisly.

Eventually we got a chance to talk to another vet. They said that they would do some bloodwork, but they werenâ€™t going to test for THC since the tests arenâ€™t that reliable. We had a choice to make – take him home and give him fluids, or let him stay the night for observation. If Bogie was still off the next day, then it probably wasn’t weed. He might have a neurological disorder. Yikes. We figured that it was better to play it safe, so Bogie stayed the night at the animal hospital. They shaved his leg for the bloodwork and gave him an IV.

On the way out Ryan asked about the German Shepard puppy. It didnâ€™t make it 🙁 . I still feel sad thinking about that poor puppy, and that family. They must be traumatized.

The next day Ryan went to pick up Bogie, and he seemed to be back to his old self. I was worried that he would be upset about us abandoning him to a night at the scary animal hospital, but according to Ryan on discharge, Bogie was trying to get pets from strangers, not a care in the world. We have a very easy dog.

I was pretty shook up by the range of emotions I went through on that day. I really thought that he might die, just because we weren’t watching him close enough. The whole experience is just another confirmation that I shouldn’t have kids. I am unfit for duty. And for those of you who know about the “cookie incident,” you know that my mom went through something quite similar with me back in high school. I’ve been laughing about it with friends for years, but I’m sorry mom!!!! I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart for scaring the crap out of you and costing you a ton of money!

Life, Philadelphia

2 Months In

Time flies! Today marks 2 months since we moved to Philadelphia. Hereâ€™s how itâ€™s been going.

HOUSE STUFF

Ryan closed on the house at the end of May, and we stayed out here for about a week at the beginning of June just to get things set up. At the time I thought that it was a bit extra, and I was wary of the additional cost, but looking back, it was definitely a good idea. The whole flurry of leaving San Francisco for good was stressful, and I couldnâ€™t imagine having to spend those first few surreal days having to deal with Comcast, buying toilet paper, and setting up a bed.

Still, there was tons to do once we got here. Since we donâ€™t have a car, weâ€™ve been ordering a lot of furniture and essentials off the internet. The first few weeks were an endless stream of packages from UPS, FedEx, and the USPS. My hands got red and raw from hauling things around, building furniture, and breaking down a million boxes. I hadnâ€™t gotten used to the house yet, so I kept bumping into things, leaving miserable bruises all over my body. The absolute worst was when I ran into our new wood/leather couch while trying to answer the door. I did this all by myself, isnâ€™t that cool?

Anywaysâ€¦everything was a bit of a mess for the first few weeks, but it’s all coming together slowly.

Staining Ikea furniture for the guest room

BOGIE (OREO MILKSHAKE TRAN-LAWLER)

In a move that will surprise absolutely no one, on our first full day in Philadelphia, Ryan suggested that we visit the SPCA. One thing led to another, and we ended up adopting an adorable and terribly frightened puppy, one of a litter of 3. I was a bit nervous about how the little guy would do, since he was incredibly anxious and sad looking in the shelter. But once we got him home, he relaxed and became a total love bug! I donâ€™t blame him, I would be depressed and scared in the animal shelter too. It was nothing like the super chill and beautiful San Francisco SPCA adoption center. It was straight up THE POUND.

Bogie couldnâ€™t go on walks until he finished his course of shots, so we were housebound for about three weeks. I never knew this was a thing, that dogs shouldn’t be walking around on the ground outside and meeting strange dogs until about 4 months. How do dog owners handle this quarantine? It’s terrible!

There were a few times that we took him out in a tote bag, but beyond that, we were in the house, watching him like a hawk and making sure that he didnâ€™t have any house training accidents. We’ve also been crate training him, and it’s been rough. At night he would howl, scream and cry, and paw furiously at his crate like we were torturing him. Several times we had to stop since it was just too disruptive.

After too many nights of sleep deprivation I found myself getting angry. Why did we have to get a puppy? Why not an adult dog that already had its shit together (literally!). Why did it have to be crate trained? Why couldnâ€™t he just shut up so I could sleep?

I honestly thought I was going to lose it for a few weeks. Thankfully I found the subreddit puppy101. The regret and exhaustion we were going through was so common it had a cutesy name – â€˜the puppy bluesâ€™. I resolved to stick it out, and things have gotten better. Now Bogie can sleep through the night in his crate, hasnâ€™t had accidents in the house in quite a while, and we can leave him in his crate for a few hours while we go out and explore the city. I still wish we had waited longer before committing to a dog, since I wanted to do some traveling up and down the coast, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.

WORKING REMOTE

Working remotely full time has been pretty good. Thereâ€™s the novelty of not being in an office surrounded by coworkers of course, no commute, and then the time difference. But mostly the work is the same, and surprisingly, I still get the â€œSunday Scariesâ€ – anxiety about work on Sunday night. Having a cheerful study with this little office buddy helps. 🙂

PHILADELPHIA IN GENERAL

I remembered that east coast summers were rough, but itâ€™s been nasty. Mid 90s with on and off thunderstorms. Still, we’ve been able to get out and about. There have been a ton of outdoor events we’ve stumbled onto.

Everyone has been pretty friendly/polite. I donâ€™t know if itâ€™s a Philadelphia thing or itâ€™s a neighborhood thing. I haven’t made any friends yet, but I definitely make plenty of casual conversation day to day. Having a dog helps a lot on that front. Bogie is a puppy, so he gets lots of attention. One time I took him to the dog park 10 minutes away and got stopped 4 times! In one instance a girl literally laid down on the sidewalk and let Bogie jump all over her! A quarter of a block later, a couple stopped to pet him and reminisce about losing 2 dogs in the past six months. They started getting teary and wondering whether they would ever love a dog again. WHOA.

OTHER ODDS AND ENDS

Ryan got excited about composting, but we hadnâ€™t figured out the right â€˜ratioâ€™ of organic matter, so the back yard smelled hideous for the first couple weeks. And the flies, oh the flies. At one point last weekend, I killed 11 flies in the kitchen in one afternoon. I felt like a ninja, popping them with my towel of death, until I realized every time that there was yet another fly.

Building things to keep Bogie out of the compost, and out of our neighbor’s yard!

Iâ€™ve been hitting up local developer meetups, and there’s definitely a dev scene here, but there isn’t the same free flowing startup money in it like SF. No beer, limited food. Guess I’ve been spoiled by SF and its heavily sponsored events.

Speaking of SF, I actually just got back from a quick work trip there. Being in the city felt strange, like Iâ€™d just come back from a long vacation, but I couldnâ€™t go home because home didnâ€™t exist anymore. I got to spend every night with friends though, and that was nice. I miss them the most.