This was a short work week because of the President's Day holiday. I didn't take advantage of the day off by doing anything fun, like buying a new mattress.

Oh...but I did get a new ergonomic pizza cutter! And a desk pad for my new (lowers sunglasses) sit-stand desk. I also bought a new monitor mount because the government gave me two new 24" monitors to use at home. Thank you, taxpayers!

After some consideration, I decided to renew my apartment lease. The thought of packing everything up again 18 months after I had already done so exhausts my already tired mind.

I've moved a lot over my lifetime - 14 times if I'm counting correctly. Four of those moves came by the time I turned 8. It's a little harder to do when you're approaching 50 and living with chronic pain.

I've lived in this neighborhood on and off for almost 40 years. It's a fine neighborhood. But it’s passed me by, and I'm on the cusp of being priced out of it. Plus I'd like to be closer to my kid, who lives in Longfellow with her Mom.

Plus, I don't need to tell you that housing options have greatly diminished. Thanks to private equity, corporate landlords, interest rates, and rising rents. It's difficult to maintain stable housing when more and more of your monthly income is going to it.

hanks to my attention span and particular flavor of neurodiversity, I have a difficult time watching movies*. In a good year, I might watch 5 films I've never seen. So far this year, I've actually watched two: Oppenheimer and There Will Be Blood.

I thought Oppenheimer was fine. The acting was good and the feel of the film was palatable. But it's certainly not something I'm going to watch again and again.

But I'll be thinking about There Will Be Blood for a long time to come. It messed me up pretty well.

*I will, however, watch the Star Wars movies over and over

If you find yourself near 7th St. and Hennepin Av., you can still see remnants of Witt's Market House. The full-service grocer, some six stories tall, was open from 1919-1968.

The alley behind the store still has a relic or two from its heyday, like this sign that simply says "Witt's". There are also a number of ghost signs on the building that you can spy from different vantage points along Hennepin. This particular capture was taken in December, but I always find myself taking a picture of this every time I'm in the area.

m u s i c b r e a k

Exuma - You Don't Know What's Going On (1970)

There was a fun prompt going around Bluesky the past couple of days that said post 10 bands/musicians you've been obsessed with at some point in your life. And while I don't think I was ever obsessed with Exuma (aka Macfarlane Gregory Anthony Mackey), he certainly fascinates me.

There's a lot to him, so I recommend checking out his Wikipedia page. As to his music:

He described his music as "all music that has ever been written and all music not yet written. It's feeling, emotion, the sound of man, the sound of day creatures, night creatures and electrical forces".

Take care,

-AG