Quick Trip
Froze leftover turkey. Apple store—bought AirPod 4s with ANC. Listened to "Never Split the Difference" audiobook on drives. Lunch with Loni and boys, hung out at the shopping center. Helped Leland with Minecraft. Drove home. Talked to Joey about final Mexico details. Confirmed Trouble care while away. Trial packing of new backpack—everything fits. Finished Corinna photo shoot sets. Ancient Civilizations—breakdown of Roman Republic. Cooked down turkey broth to syrup, froze it. Watched White Christmas.
Continued Preparation
December 8, 2025
These notes describe the events of Sunday, 12/7/2025.
Historical Note: December 7th holds a profound and multifaceted place in history, most enduringly known for the 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously declared a "date which will live in infamy." This catastrophic event claimed over 2,403 American lives and ended U.S. isolationism, propelling the nation into World War II and fundamentally reshaping the global geopolitical order. However, the date also bookends the American story in other significant ways: on this day in 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, effectively setting the American experiment in motion, while nearly two centuries later in 1972, Apollo 17 launched the final crewed mission to the moon, marking the end of the seminal era of lunar exploration.
Froze the leftover turkey. The remaining meat from Thanksgiving, finally packaged and preserved. The turkey that's been gradually processed over the past weeks—eaten fresh, made into broth, now the last pieces secured for future use.
Drove to the Apple store and bought some AirPod 4s with ANC. Active noise cancellation—the technology for blocking out ambient sound, useful for travel, for focused work, for creating quiet in noisy environments. They also support Live Translate, which may be useful in Mexico for real-time language translation. The purchase timed for the Mexico trip, new equipment for the journey. Listened to the audiobook "Never Split the Difference" on the drive up—negotiation strategies, FBI hostage negotiation techniques applied to everyday interactions.
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Helped Leland a bit with Minecraft. Not playing—helping him with some configuration issues due to version upgrades. Technical troubleshooting, getting the game working properly again after updates changed settings or broke compatibility. Grandfather technical support.
Drove home. The return from family time, the transition back to individual space and tasks. Continued listening to "Never Split the Difference" on the drive back—absorbing negotiation concepts, thinking about how they apply to various situations.
Talked to Joey a bit about final details before traveling to Mexico. The last-minute coordination, confirming plans, making sure logistics are clear. The trip is tomorrow—final check-in to ensure everything's ready.
Confirmed that Trouble will be attended to while I'm away. Debi and John will take care of him—the cat care arranged, responsibilities covered, one less thing to worry about during travel. They will feed him, check on him, keep things running.
Did a trial packing of my new backpack. Everything fits! Testing the new travel bag, making sure all the necessary items actually work within the space available. The satisfaction of successful organization—the backpack proving adequate for the journey ahead.
Finished the sets from the photo shoot with Corinna. The post-production work complete, images edited and organized into coherent sets, ready for next steps. Two tasks remain: sending her a model release and creating a Studio post for the Belo Retrato Patreon. The editing work finished before departure, though the administrative and publication steps will need to happen later.
Watched Ancient Civilizations: A Global Perspective. This episode was about the breakdown of the Roman Republic—the political instability, the conflicts between populares and optimates, the erosion of republican institutions, the rise of strongmen, the civil wars that eventually destroyed the republic and created the empire. The historical pattern of democratic systems failing, power concentrating, institutions breaking down under stress.
Cooked down the turkey broth to a syrup. The liquid reduced through long heating, water evaporating, flavors concentrating, the broth becoming thick and syrup-like. Froze the syrup—the concentrated essence of turkey now preserved in compact form, taking minimal freezer space while retaining maximum flavor. The final processing of Thanksgiving turkey, everything now preserved or consumed. Watched White Christmas while doing this—the classic holiday movie providing entertainment during the long cooking process, the familiar songs and story playing while attending to the practical task.
The day moved through final preparations, family connection, and completion of pending projects. Turkey preservation finished. New AirPods acquired for travel. Time with Loni and the boys maintaining family bonds. Mexico logistics confirmed with Joey. Trouble's care arranged. Backpack successfully packed. Corinna's photo editing complete, though steps remain. Turkey broth reduced and frozen. The pieces falling into place before departure.
Sunday combined travel preparation with family time and project completion. The Apple store trip acquiring needed technology. Lunch with Loni and the boys providing connection and continuity. The trial packing confirming the new backpack works. Joey conversation finalizing Mexico details. Trouble care confirmed. Photo editing work complete though administrative steps remain. The Ancient Civilizations episode about Roman Republic breakdown echoing yesterday's thoughts about systemic forces versus individual decisions—political institutions failing, strongmen rising, the republic collapsing into empire. The turkey syrup representing final closure on Thanksgiving processing. Everything converging toward tomorrow's departure.
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