Wow, so much has happened in a mere three months. Obviously, politically, I’m super disappointed and disillusioned. I tried so hard after the defeat to understand where the hell the Dems went wrong. So many places it seems… even among people I know, they criticized the messaging, the key platforms, the lack of strategy… I dunno. I honestly didn’t see it coming, and I was very blind-sided by the results. Most people I know are taking a break from the news now, but it’s terrifying see how quickly the new Napoleon is implementing his changes.

In other news, after my Accutane stint that ended in late August, I’ve still been battling side effects. Several months after treatment ended, my dry eye is as bad as ever. I’ve resorted to wearing eyeglasses again. For some reason, though the ‘tane got me clear, I now have dark circles under my eyes. I was having eye twitches and headaches. My body was really starting to break down. Thankfully, my PCP is a superstar and after adopting a couple of her recommendations, the latter two symptoms have mostly subsided now that we’re into February. The dry eye is the remaining hurdle, but it seems excessive computer time exacerbates the condition.

Work for 2025 is off to a slower start than last year. A few listings in the pipeline and 3 buyers who say they are “committed” but their actions show otherwise. I’m tiring of this business. It still gets me up every morning, but the people part is exhausting. Maybe J is right: going into the investment/flipping side of things would allow me to shine in my project management abilities while decreasing exposure to buyers’ fickle emotions and common family dysfunction.

I had a Lunar New Year party last week that was a fun distraction. I stole some new decorating ideas from Instagram and Pinterest and purchased a table rod– an assembly that towers over the dining table. It’s a surprisingly easy concept where a metal rod arch clamps to the table, allowing you to dangle lanterns, flowers, lights, etc. overhead. I’m happy with it. For the food, we made dumplings, following one of our OG recipes from our days in Shanghai (circa 2003) and rice cakes. Then, we supplemented with vegetable sides from a local restaurant. The spread turned out great, and in just the right portions. Next month after the weather starts to warm and dry, I’ll resume my monthly Mahjong Mastermind. It’s been so long, I may have to re-watch the tutorial!

What else. My buds P & C are coming up later this week from Long Beach. Thankfully, Southwest has direct flights from LGB to SJC which makes things so much easier. I was motivated to clean out my home office FINALLY to make room for them. I put up my floating book shelves, hung my uke, got a new upright stand for my zither… all little things but Jesus, everything had been sitting around collecting dust for years.

Speaking of the zither, I started playing it again. I’m working on a couple of old folk songs. I have to say, the phone app guzheng tuner is a lifesaver. J recently found a “Harps of Asia” concert at Stanford that featured music with the guzheng along with its counterparts from Vietnam, Japan, and Korea. The concert was surprisingly good, and now I’m feeling re-inspired to attend more live music events at Stanford and to play my instrument with more regularity.