#61: Help 10 Restaurants Survive

Antica Pizzeria Da Michele. At least Covid has finally brought more al fresco dining to LA.

#21 Done: Read an additional 20 books

Incredibly well written.

Called I the experts for this one. They removed all of the old insulation, sanitized and sealed the attic, and installed new insulation.

#14: Celebrate Sonia’s 50th.

I was busy cooking paella and gazpacho, so the pictures are lacking. Devin, Brittany, Alex, Dad, and Georgeanne made the Monday night trek to put the exclamation mark on Sonia’s 50th. Georgeanne’s poem stole the show.

#21: Read an additional 20 books

Dark, but a good read.

We should have been in San Miguel de Allende celebrating Sonia’s 50th before Corona took on a different meaning. While not the same, we brought a little bit of Mexico to the back yard.

29: Spain/Portugal Album

#48: See 10 New Movies

A movie doesn’t need to be good during the pandemic to get amazing reviews, it just needs to be new.

#82: No car for me.

I was going to try and make a go with it with the Bronco, but break downs would’ve been inevitable. Sooo, I got a M2 Competition Series, because, you know, the 405 is a racetrack.

#70: Frame Pearl Jam posters

#41 Star Gaze

It was so dark, even my iPhone could take a picture of the stars.

#100 Done: Tour a winery

Finished with Niner, Sixbridgeswinery, and our friend’s winery, Dilecta.

#88 in Progress: Celebrate Brittany’s 25th

First day and night in Paso Robles. Toured Jada and Opolo winery, followed by a Korean BBQ dinner at out ARBNB.

#4: Read 4 Pulitzer winning/finalist Fiction Novels

If there was ever a book that deserved the Pulitzer, it’s Middlesex. Loved it.

It took a pandemic, but I needed a space to write.

Step One: Cleared out the room and removed the base boards

Step two: I wanted a dark and luxurious library, so I settled on this blue paint color. It took several coats.

Step three: Put together the bookcases that would eventually become built-ins.

Step four: Secured the bookcases to a frame that I bolted to the studs. They’re going nowhere.

Step five: Brought the frame up to the ceiling so that I could add lights.

Step six: Added voice commanded lights and covered the frame with MDF and plywood. Watched a lot of YouTube instructional videos on how to wire electricity.

Step seven: Bought a nail gun and added trim between the bookcases and on the ceiling. Next, I added the baseboards to compete the built-in look. I must have cut each corner of the baseboards a dozen times before I got the angles right. I also caulked every hole, crack and blemish.

Step eight: Sanded and painted everything. After using a paint roller on the first shelf, I bought an electric paint sprayer and banged it out in a day.

Step nine: Hung the chandelier and began the difficult process of tiling the ceiling. The old adage, measure twice, cut once, didn’t seem to work for me. I would measure twice, cut once, scream, then try again.

Step ten: Somehow I managed to tile the entire room and it looks great.

Step eleven: Books, furniture and artwork. Still need to add some furnishing and artwork, but I couldn’t be happier with how it all came out. Now I can put the tools away and write.

My only regret is reading so many books on Kindle.

15 boxes of donations later.

Finally organized my tools in my Father’s Day gift to myself.

Wait, what?

First night out in months. Burger and fries were outstanding.

#21: Read an additional 20 books

As I make my way through the Pulitzer Prize winning, Middlesex, quarantine has provided lots of time to read. Here’s six more I’ve knocked out. Station Eleven was great, but her most recent novel, The Glass House was a mediocre story. Sea Wife, 28 Summers, Missing You and Pretty Things were all highly enjoyable.

IMG_5184 from henry james on Vimeo.

Going stir crazy, we built our own mini restaurant.

We’re now selling Covid 19 tests. Strange. Brit had a horrible respiratory virus in January, but she just negative for short and long term anti bodies.

In anticipation of pigging out over Father’s Day Weekend, I submit today’s weigh in. A ten year low.

My gramps is looking down on Hemingway.

American Express Spending Chart

April 1st thru May 31st 2019

April 1st thru May 31st 2020

Last year we spent $10,411 at restaurants in April and May.  For the same period this year we spent $809. Silver linings.

Our supper club hosted a virtual wine tasting with Three Sticks winery in Sonoma and a paella dinner.

Although it may not be the best year to graduate high school, I have never met anyone who looks back fondly on those three hours in the sun waiting for their name to be called. Silver linings dude.

Middle school graduation in the age of Corona. Congrats guys.

The gift that keeps on giving.

#21: Read 20 additional books

If you’re a writer or a lover, you’ll like it.

My neighborhood right now.

Hemingway gets more massages than anyone.

#21: Read 20 additional books

The Lithuanian in me enjoyed this book.

This sucks. We really enjoyed the h Club.

That was an exhausting weekend.

Invited some Brazilians for their meat. Wasn’t disappointed.

Much more handsy than my other barber.