Every day I have to remove hundreds of spam messages from the comments section of this blog. I keep searching for genuine comments, hoping that there are readers who enjoy my writing. However, most of them are just links to sites where you can buy Viagra, sports jerseys, or porn. Some go to great links to make you think they are loyal readers like “Great Stuff” or “Nice Work” – now check out my site where you can get Canadian pharmaceuticals for cheap. Fortunately, I write most of this “great stuff” as a form of personal therapy, so it really doesn’t matter if anyone ever reads it. It also keeps me busy for an hour every day. 

I think we’re headed to a museum today, as we continue to explore the new neighborhood. Yesterday, both my wife and I were amazed how we could shop for groceries, go to Goodwill, and see a movie without ever getting in the car. It’s a good thing because my car is still full of items that have yet to find a place in our apartment. From a historical standpoint, right down the street is The Pharmacy Sports Bar & Grill where the opening scenes of the movie Drugstore Cowboy were shot. We’re easily in walking distance of both the Portland Art Museum and Portland Historical Society, as we make our plans for “Museum Tuesday.” It’s my turn to cook tonight, as I begin my lessons on how to prepare my brined-pork chop recipe on an electric range rather than gas. Every day is a learning experience. 

I thought I was getting a matinee bargain yesterday with $5 admission to see Joker. Instead, we got there early and I was tempted by a $10 martini, making it one of the most expensive afternoon movies I’ve ever seen. I think there were only six people in attendance that started with a unique live introduction of the show while velvet curtains were being drawn behind us for privacy. It was an amazing, yet creepy, performance by Joaquin Phoenix, even though the film and sound quality was not comparable to Cinemark and there were no Luxury Loungers. Because of the convenience, I’m sure we’ll be regulars, even though we’re also within a little further walking distance of the Fox Theater downtown. 

Yesterday was a good balance of exploring the neighborhood and the world. On the travel front, I booked a Marriott Vacation Club hotel in Bali for eleven nights in May. It was a nice distraction from the recent hassles of organizing shelves and hanging pictures. With my wife’s recent retirement, we decided to accelerate our major excursions to two a year while the money lasts. This fills the gap between now and next October when we do the Nile River cruise. We got a surprise refund check from our mortgage company in the mail yesterday and it was burning a hole in our passport pockets. Bali is on my wife’s bucket list, our second journey together south of the Equator. It will be interesting to see how our travel agent sets up the flights, perhaps an overnight stay or two in some yet unexplored cities along the way? I should have most of my pictures hung by then!