I visited San Diego for a work trip this week, and arrived a bit early to do some sightseeing and acclimate to the 3 hour time difference. As I travel more often these days for work and leisure, I’ve been reflecting on the elements that reduce friction and allow me to make the most out of a short trip. 

• In my humble opinion, every trip should include local food, time in nature, and time with art. I logged about 25,000 steps earlier this week just wandering around La Jolla and visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art.
• Public transit is one of my preferred ways to see a place and its people at neighbourhood scale. When I have time to spare, I’ll often choose transit instead of rideshare apps. With many transit systems now sharing real-time data via Google Maps or apps like Transit, as well as accepting contactless payment, it’s easier than ever to get around this way. 
• Pre-paid data plans are a great option when travelling internationally. They’re much cheaper than the rate my home carrier charges for out-of-country roaming, and very convenient as many carriers sell esims rather than physical cards these days. I used Airalo on this trip and spent just $8 USD for 3 GB of data. 
• Noise-cancelling headphones + a Kobo loaded with books = my ideal in-flight entertainment.

• And just like that, December and January happened.
• I managed to swing nearly three straight weeks off in December, and it was glorious. Next to the much-needed rest and relaxation, my personal highlight was taking a deep dive into Indian cuisine. I picked up a copy of Meera Sodha’s East cookbook in mid-December, and have been trying out several recipes since then. This time of year I crave hearty rice-based dishes with bright root vegetables, many of which start with delicious curry leaves, green chilli peppers and mustard seeds crackling in hot oil.
• Finn the cat, who is now in his twelfth year, has been ill since mid-November. His vet suspects a chronic liver and/or gall bladder problem, which seems to be manifesting mainly as overnight puking. He’s as cuddly and energetic as ever, though.
• Relatedly, I think I’m going to have to rip out all of the carpet in this house.
• January was a blur, but my concerted effort to move more after a very sedentary holiday season was pretty successful. I managed 10,000+ steps on most days, and have also started using a bike trainer + Zwift to work out at home. It feels good to move.
• I’ve just completed a four week introductory improv class at the Improv Embassy. Our little gang of 10-12 regular attendees got noticeably better and more comfortable with each other as the weeks progressed, and it was nice to spend at least one evening a week somewhere other than my couch.
• For the next six weeks I’m participating in Synapcity’s Civics Boot Camp program, which brings participants together to explore issues with a municipal lens and develop skills to affect positive change in the community. I’ve served on my community association executive for a few years now, and have lots of opinions about municipal issues, so this is all very much in my wheelhouse.

• I spent some time this week on a work trip to Winnipeg. I arrived just in time for a delicious lunch at Clementine in the Exchange District, followed by some aimless wandering in and around the Millennium Library.
• I now have a perfect green woolly jacket for woolly jacket season (which, given how quickly the leaves are turning, will be over in a couple of weeks).
• Inspired by some of the room photos posted on r/amateurroomporn, especially this one, I set out on a mission today to find some cat-safe greenery for my living room. Home Depot came through, and I’m now enjoying having a big Parlour Palm in my space. The cat is enjoying the taste and mouthfeel of the Parlour Palm.
• Made a colossal batch of chickpea and butternut tagine yesterday, marking my full transformation into Mr. Autumn Man.