Here and There Blog

June 1 and I'm on Tray 12 and well past the half way mark. The dentist says I can go weekly now but I think I'll ease into Tray 13 on the 10 day mark and see how it goes. The teeth don't hurt as much with new trays now although Tray 10 was a tough one and 11 not that much better. 12 by contrast is only tight on the teeth, no pain.  At the beginning of this, I thought the hardest part would be during extended work dinners where I had to leave the tray out for extended periods of time. That is hard but mainly because the attachments rub into my mouth if the tray isn't in. That's a motivation for keeping the trays on. But really, the hardest part has been traveling. Long plane flights where I have to decide between eating or dealing with the floss/brush/tray routine in the aircraft cabin lavatory.  I'm at the point where I'd rather be hungry than have to deal with that so water on flights it is and maybe a snack right at the end of the trip. Today's p...

My first impression of Minsk is a good one. How could it not be when my hotel room has this view? I haven't seen much yet except the drive from the airport to the hotel.  This will be an unusual stay for me since my Visa expired and I have to work within the 5 day limit for a Visa free stay. The River Svisloch runs through Minsk and there are walking/biking paths around it. The weather is perfect for being outside and with early sunrise/late sunset, people are out and enjoying the area.

In Las Vegas for a work conference and pretty much hanging out at the Bellagio. The hotel's main attraction is all the flower art. It's so popular that you have to go in early to get a photo without crowds. This was at 5:30 am, and I was the only one around.  Butterflies seemed to be the theme for spring/summer. It looks better in person than the pictures.

Here's a couple from the weekend. Sunny, minimal people, and an oddly cold wind that was blowing but still great!  Then followed by rain on Monday. Crazy weather. Random thoughts for the week ahead - I have so much going on in June and July that I'm blurring them together and shall refer to them as Junly. This Junly season has at minimum three long trips, more house update/repairs squeezed in when I'm home, and a couple rounds of work weeks with hosting people. The house next door has prospective short term renters looking at it. Today's round was a couple with a toddler. Perfect! I hope they take it. Almost guaranteed to be quiet. Politics - how is anyone sleeping in Washington? Insomnia must be a big thing in that town. I wish we could give them a 24 "cone of silence" so our collective dizzy brains could take a break. Seems like Animal Planet's ratings should be up. When all else fails, that's the least annoying channel on TV. That and BBC Ameri...

Railroad Days in Fullerton  is part hands-on train, part street fair of train stuff (models, toys, t-shirts, clubs) and part model train showcase. And the Fullerton Swat team for some reason. Most of the fun is aimed at children and for a free to enter weekend, it's a great deal.  Disney brought in a train for the event.  Most of the fun was watching the model railroads but even more, looking at all the railroad towns.  German missiles with palm trees. Logical only with model trains!  Lego military base. Logical only with model trains! It was fun to learn something new about Fullerton. 1) I didn't even know there was a train museum and 2) if all the trains didn't have a wait, it would have been fun to walk-thru them. Check the website link below for more info. Museum Information The museum is open the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. Admission is free. Days: 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month Hours: 9 a.m. to Noon Admission: Free...

Tray 10 of 21.  Almost to the halfway point! The top teeth seem to be in place and the tray provides stability and prevention of movement back. The lower tray is moving the middle teeth out now to make room for the final push of the front teeth crowding. It's been a couple of easy trays and I sense that I'm about to hit a few tight ones as the intense push-out begins. Separately, this is my favorite Yertle month yet with the navigation of the steps! Good work JM!

No Maypoles or flowers at the beach. No protests or labor strikes. Only sand, sun, surfers, and birds. Summer's coming soon and the early morning peace will be replaced with tourists having fun. For now I'll enjoy the ability to exercise freely without dodging the crowds.