Adjusting

Much of this week has been adjusting after getting back from Taiwan, as well as catching up on some of the things I missed out on while we were gone.

I didn't sleep great any night this week. Most nights I woke up for a couple of hours; there were a few nights where I woke up a few times, but I didn't stay awake. In fairness, I don't know whether it was jetlag or the usual waking, because I often will wake up for two hours. 

I have two jobs and two side gigs, and on Tuesday I did all four of them. I do both jobs every day, and in the evening, I also had more stuff to proof for Wayfare. And I was also drafting my review of KFC jelly beans for The Impulsive Buy, which should go up this week.

When we got home last week, there was fresh snow in the yard, but it melted so quickly that I was able to go on the Wild Rose Trail five days this week. I didn't take many pictures, because it's not so pretty in early March. Yesterday (Saturday), I briefly went on Wild Rose to get to the trails above it, then came down by the radio towers. While the trails were mostly dry, there were some muddy spots on the top, including a giant puddle I dropped my water bottle in.

In the afternoon, I went to the annual Siamsa festival downtown, which has Celtic music, Irish dancing, and lots of vendors. It's after the St. Patrick's Day parade, but the Siamsa is better, IMO. Usually the food vendors are sold out by the time I get there, but I was happy to see one selling "Irish" food. I got overpriced corned beef and cabbage (which is Irish American) and Irish soda bread, but they weren't really better than what I make at home. And I had sticky toffee pudding, which they called Irish food, but I think it's more English. I was totally stuffed. 

I got a green lemonade and settled down to listen to the Irish-adjacent bands, Murphy & the Giant and Shanahy, who perform every year. I might have stayed longer, but I had to get back to my car before my two-hour parking spot expired. 

The plastic seems extremely wasteful, but most people don't bat an eye at it

It's just a fun thing to do in March. In the last decade-ish, I have really come to enjoy St. Patrick's Day, even though I have no connection to Ireland. I think of it as an American holiday celebrated by Americans. Here are various things I enjoy about the holiday, along with when they became part of my festivities (not necessarily every year), so you can see how relatively recent they are.

• Head-to-toe green: Indefinitely, accelerated since 2012
• Green foods: indefinitely
• Gold-wrapped candies: 2000
• Cooking corned beef and cabbage: 2015
• See's St. Patrick's Day Potatoes (candy): 2016
• Avocado shakes: 2016
• St. Patrick's Day playlist: 2016, gradually becoming more substantial, especially in 2019 and 2023
• Irish soda bread: 2016
• Green mac and cheese: 2018
• Siamsa: 2018
• Cartoon Saloon Irish Trilogy: 2021 (I had watched The Secret of Kells years before, but it didn't stick. They're working on a new one!)
• Colcannon: 2024

But I couldn't do much more St. Paddy's Day stuff in the evening, because I was going to a Pi Day party.

Today I taught Sunday School about Genesis 24–41, which I thought went well, and the class participated quite a bit. I used a PowerPoint, and I was happy to use this special TV:

A year ago (tomorrow to be exact), our ward moved into a new building, and the Relief Society room* has this unique pixelated painting in an enormous, gaudy frame.

But it's not actually a painting! There is a remote control on the wall that lifts and lowers the painting, like a theater curtain, to reveal a TV behind it. There are USB and HDMI ports on the side of the frame.

*In my ward, the elders quorum meets in the Relief Society room, because the RS is too big and meets in the gym.

This is looking to be a fun week!