Day of the Dog

My brain was complete mush today—mental exhaustion finally catching up after weeks of intensive travel and documentation. Despite interesting company and entertainment, the day was mostly about recognizing when to stop pushing and let the mind rest. A neighborhood dog walk, a murder mystery performance where I guessed wrong, a casual pub with a resident dog, and Assassin's Creed on screen. Sometimes the most important thing about travel is knowing when your brain needs to pause.

When Mental Fog Settles In

September 20, 2025

My brain was complete mush today. Sad, really. Ian and Emma's friends are interesting people, but I could barely keep my eyes open for most of the day. I would have liked to have gotten to know them better.

We did manage a dog walk around the neighborhood. It's striking how the foliage has changed since I arrived. Definitely fewer blossoms now, more nuts on the trees. The air is somewhat cooler but not uncomfortably so. September settling into itself.

In the afternoon we went to a performance by the Red Herrings—an audience participation murder mystery where all the characters are scoundrels in some way, but only one committed the actual murder. From the clues, the audience has to figure out who did it, when, how, and why. I didn't perform very well this time. I figured out who did it and how, but changed my mind at the last minute to a completely incorrect answer. No certificate for me this round.

In an attempt to recover from my mental fog, I walked to a nearby pub for a bit of mindlessness. It helped. Very casual neighborhood spot—nothing historical or significant about it. The beer selection wasn't great, but what I had was tasty. It's a sports bar, so there was a soccer match on screen. There was a dog there that seemed to have the run of the place—wasn't clear if she belonged to the owners or one of the customers. They seemed to be setting up for live music when I left.

Evening brought Assassin's Creed—an interesting action-adventure epic with thoughtful takes on order versus chaos and the consequences of too much of either.

Tomorrow will be my last full day here, primarily about packing and preparing for the return home. Monday morning I leave at some terrible early hour to catch a train, then a bus to Heathrow, then 11 hours to SFO. Monday will be about 32 hours long.

Looking forward to getting home and seeing what my new environment looks like. The forest behind my house was cut down while I was away. Impermanence.

Pictures can be found here: https://beloretrato0.picflow.com/d43bka91mw/l6289e2d5a