It's been about a month, how are you getting on in your new house you didn't ask. I'll tell you. We love it. But roses it has not been.

Couple days after we moved in we had raw sewage coming up out of all the shower drains. As you do. Blockage from the house to the City line.

About a week later a nice little flood in the laundry room and part of the living room. Pipe in the wall feeding the washing machine disintegrated. We had a restoration company come in to dry out the floors/walls/framing. A week of jet engines and not hearing ourselves think. I'd envisioned living in the house slightly longer before putting in our first house insurance claim.

Then last week during the storm of century we got, well, all the rain I think. The puddle in the kitchen with ceiling dripping a lovely good morning surprise. Leaky roof is leaky.

Hoping for a quiet and incident free rest of the year.

When you sell your house, no matter how much of a good idea it sounds, do not rent a truck and move yourself. I do these things so you don't have to.

From a suburb of Phoenix to actual Phoenix proper, a city dweller now. It's exciting and exhausting and are there ever boxes for days.

It's chucking it down outside and the patio doors are open. I don't know what's better, the smell of rain or the freshly brewed coffee?

Out in the desert across from our house. We've had a lot of rain, it's not usually this green.

First package delivered to an Amazon Locker near our house. Was cheaper and delivered faster than regular shipping. With no risk of porch pirates. To a place we drive by to get home. And in other news, I have new headphones.

It's that time of year again. I probably say the same thing every 12 months, but I love Halloween. Growing up in England in the late 70s, early 80s meant there really was no Halloween to speak of. Dressing up and going trick or treating was always something you saw Americans doing on TV. So it's nice to actually live here, with kids of your own, experiencing it first hand.

In life, strive to not be Mr I drank the last bit of coffee and didn't make any more guy. Don't be that guy.

The house behind us, empty for weeks, has life. The noisy kind. I think 4 dogs and perhaps 5 kids?

It's…different.

A homeless man was sitting in McDonald's not bothering anyone. I was glad the employees didn't move him along but sad those around him were giving vile looks with kids pointing. In a moment of regret some hours later I felt annoyed I hadn't really done anything to help. I didn't mind him being there, but I sure didn't go out of my way to do anything.

Later that afternoon we were in another restaurant on the same street and he walked in and sat down. We decided to give him our bread rolls. I walked over to him and gave him the food. I don't really know what I expected to happen, perhaps a look or word of thanks? Instead he said he didn't need it and told me to fuck off.

The gesture of food perhaps was really just to make myself feel better, and at the end of the day I really hadn't done anything to help him. I suppose it's possible I misread the situation entirely through my white privileged eyes. Life is complicated.