I had a birthday. That was pretty good. I think of myself as a person with not many friends, but the ones I do have are pretty top notch. Jake came to town, and brought me 21 cans of Heinz Baked Beans from London, for one, and I was given some really lovely cards (including a handmade bird one from Monica) and various odd objects including my first pitcher plant from Dana. I'm really very lucky.

On the flip side, I also did my first work meeting cry. Frustration is frustrating and I mention it in the same vein as Alice's weaknote mentions of crying in that it's kind of normal and just happens sometimes.

While we had visitors, we finally got around to visiting Flora Grubb Gardens which is basically my dream garden and I got a weird coral-looking plant. Adding the general vibe to my "when I retire" list of things to do. It's a combi-nursery and coffee shop and twee as anything and if it wasn't in a particularly shitty area of San Francisco, it would be perma-mobbed.

Japanese class continues to be quite challenging, but I'm powering through. Last week I learned to say where things are in relation to other things and this week I did a really bad job at deconstructing provided answers to derive the probable question asked. Japanese counters can also jump off a cliff.

Some additional random things:

• I got a new quantified-self-type toy. An Oura ring. Giving it a couple of weeks before I declare it naff or not, but it is a bit chunky and generous with its step counts.
• Finally listened to the podcast Alex recorded about PWAs. It's good but I had to laugh that it had to be split into two parts. Very on brand.
• Talking of podcasts, The Dream is pretty thorough if you've ever wondered about MLMs and Dirty John for the more personal con. I love a good scam story. For the more visual experience, the Ted Bundy series on Netflix is unsurprisingly great.