April 23, 2025, Lisbon, Portugal.  The visit of actor-director-community chorus teacher Beth Wilmurt proves to be a great meeting of the minds with an unexpected twist.

March 15, 2025, Lisbon, Portugal. The parade of cultural ambassadors continues, the Carnaval parades in Madeira, I get a healthcare number, and become a fixture at the jazz jam.

February 16, 2025, Lisbon, Portugal. I finally get the Temporary Residency Permit in my hands, but the bureaucratic hoops are far from finished. And a cultural ambassador arrives.

February 1, 2025, Lisbon, Portugal. After a stopover in my native New York, I return to Lisbon, disoriented again, but ready to dig back in, now with my new digs in Lisbon.

December 4, 2024, San Francisco, CA. A holiday season return to the Bay Area for work and family is both rewarding and disorienting, as I think deeply about what the heck I’m doing.

October 19, 2024, Lisbon, Portugal. A visit from my partner gets me out of Santarem and into a Lisbon apartment, despite a bout of COVID.

September 24, 2024, Santarem, Portugal. After a midnight break-in, I prepare to exit, researching storage units and apartments using my phone, but at least better able to walk.

September 8, 2024, Santarem, Portugal. I rock the Residency Appointment and wait for a couch.

September 3, 2024, Santarem, Portugal. I injure my knee and experience the kindness of the Portuguese people.

August 25, 2024, Santarem, Portugal. First, a multi-day Lisbon club crawl. I finally get into my empty apartment, and, forgetting that I am no longer 30, begin camping on the floor.