Launching a Journey

Morning routine. Workflow refinement. Raspberry Pi setup. Kitbag session with Cliffe and Ameerah. Joey arrived. NZeta application. TSA pre-check. Lunch in Albany. Staples appointment. Backpack shopping. Walk to Suds. Hogan's Heroes.

Travel preparation, technical tinkering, and time with Joey

Events and activities that occurred on Monday, January 12, 2026

Joey's New Zealand trip took shape through paperwork and practical preparation—NZeta applications, TSA pre-check appointments, backpack research, the bureaucratic architecture that makes international adventure possible. Meanwhile, I booted up ldmrp03 with its new OS and refined morning workflows, the technical parallel to travel logistics.

The day balanced system-building and human connection. Morning brought workflow refinement while listening to the Net Assessment podcast's review of 2025 and look toward 2026. Downloaded the Raspberry Pi imager, created a boot card, successfully brought ldmrp03 online. These small technical victories matter—not for themselves but for what they represent about capability and readiness.

The Kitbag session with Cliffe and Ameerah began with Cliffe leading a presencing exercise—breathing exercises, body scans, the kind of mindfulness work that grounds you physically and emotionally. The name "Kai" means sea or ocean in Hawaiian, associated with life, creation, flow and change, rhythm and balance. Fitting for a movement focused on creating safe spaces. Cliffe shared animal cards with their messages: trust for me, change for Ameerah, hope for Cliffe. These ritual moments matter in sustaining long-distance collaboration.

The strategic conversation centered on fundraising infrastructure—the practical challenge of enabling U.S. donors to support Kenyan work. I agreed to research creating a U.S.-based entity to collect and transfer funds. The team discussed finding someone with fundraising expertise, expanding weekly meetings to include the broader team on a trial basis, and increasing engagement through regular WhatsApp check-ins. My role clarified as advisor and U.S. enabler rather than decision-maker—the team leads, I facilitate access to resources.

Pleasant company

Joey arrived mid-day, transforming the afternoon from solo technical work to collaborative travel preparation. We tackled the NZeta application and TSA pre-check paperwork, the bureaucratic requirements that enable international movement. Drove to Albany for lunch at Taco Alonzo—good food, generous portions, pleasant conversation. The meal stretched longer than planned, the kind of unhurried time that matters more than efficiency.

The Staples appointment for TSA pre-check proved painless—efficient government service when you encounter it unexpectedly. We browsed travel gear while there, the equipment decisions that somehow feel momentous before trips. Back home, more backpack research. The shopping wasn't urgent but the preparation mattered, the psychological work of readying for adventure.

Evening brought our walk to Suds. The physical movement felt good, conversation flowing easily as we covered the familiar route. At the bar, Joey reconnected with Jack and Tim—they'd been at Burning Man together, stories and memories flowing as easily as the beer. Joey mentioned wanting to return to Burning Man but the timing conflicts with Autism Rocks, an event she's attended for years. These scheduling dilemmas—choosing between meaningful experiences when both matter. I worked on finishing my card while helping Joey with hers. Stories swapped around the table, the kind of good beer gathering that reminds you why regular rituals matter. Tim offered us a ride home, saving the return walk. Joey stayed a while longer before heading out.

After she left, I settled in with Hogan's Heroes. Sometimes you need the predictable comfort of old sitcoms, entertainment that asks nothing and delivers exactly what's expected. The familiar patterns, the gentle humor, the reassurance of stories that resolve cleanly in twenty-two minutes.

Throughout the day, I found myself thinking about blog post criteria. This daily documentation experiment has revealed something about the difference between recording and reflecting. Not every day warrants public reflection. Some days are simply lived, their significance private, their meaning internal. The profound doesn't always announce itself—sometimes it's embedded in ordinary preparations, in the logistics that enable adventure, in the conversations that support friends through complexity.

The day's shape: systems work in the morning, human connection in the afternoon, routine social rhythms in the evening. Technical preparations (ldmrp03 successfully booted) mirrored travel preparations (Joey's paperwork advancing). Both represent the same fundamental work—building capability, enabling future action, doing the unglamorous setup that makes interesting things possible. Not every day needs to be profound to matter. Sometimes the work is simply preparation, and preparation is its own form of meaning.