what I've done in 2026
- visited family in Mexico City
trip to Mexico City
— Mentioned in what I am doing in 2026, what I'm doing now #19, what I've done in 2026After
vacationing in the Yucatan Peninsula, my younger sister and I went to Mexico City to visit family.
Sunday 01/04/2026 – Merida → Mexico City
- land & disembark @ 10:30am; take taxi to our aunt & uncle’s house in el Pedregal
- drink coffee & chat w/ my uncle G
- watch second half of Chelsea vs Man City until my grandpa & my aunt T arrived
- sit & chat w/ my grandpa; drink a beer & a tequila w/ him while my cousins E & E & their dad J arrived
- eat an assortment of meats that my uncle G grilled: chistorra, Argentine chorizo, arrachera, & rib-eye
- drink coffee, eat cookies, & chat
Monday 01/05/2026 – Mexico City (Palmas)
- sit in patio and write what I am doing with my life
& other bits
- eat lunch @ kitchen table w/ my sister, my aunt C, & my cousin G
- hang out & chat in living room, drinking coffee & eating cookies
- watch The Holdovers w/ my sister & cousin G
- supper @ Taqueria Los Atarantados
Tuesday 01/06/2026 – Mexico City (El Pedregal & Santa Fe)
- play tennis w/ my sister & cousin G
- lunch @ Los Canarios in Perisur w/ my sister, my aunt C, & my cousin C
- dillydally @ Centro Santa Fe & then Parque La Mexicana
- supper & rosca de reyes @ my aunt T’s house with aunts T, C, & S as well as several cousins & their partners
Wednesday 01/07/2026 – Mexico City (Roma Norte)
- relax & drink coffee
- spend the afternoon w/ my grandpa at his senior’s home w/ my sister & aunt C
- look at photo albums; eat lunch; play a board game; accompany my grandpa up to the gym
- meet w/ my childhood friend J
- beer @ La Roma Brewing then tacohopping @ Taquerias La Taque then @ Taqueria Los Atarantados
Thursday 01/08/2026 – Mexico City (La Condesa) & Toluca
- go to Mexican Federation of Football w/ my uncle G, my cousin G, and my sister
- tour the office; get a tutorial from folks who run the VAR; watch bits of a youth match at one of the fields
- have pizza for lunch while watching Arsenal vs Liverpool on patio
- spend time w/ my grandpa; play a board game with him, my sister, & my aunt C
- check in for flight; struggle through app errors
- supper @ El Tizoncito in La Condesa w/ a group of cousins
Friday 01/09/2026 – Mexico City
- wake @ 9am, say goodbye to my uncle, drink coffee, and journal
- breakfast @ kitchen table w/ my aunt C & cousin G
- more coffee & journaling; pack, shower, and leave for airport
- watched The Holdovers at my cousin’s house w/ my sister D & cousin G
- did a late Xmas gift exchange with friends in Vancouver
- watched Marty Supreme on 70mm @ Cineplex International Village w/ Z, Z’s mom, and Z’s stepdad
- visited family on Camano Island, WA
- attended Good Times Vinyl Night & Drawing Night @ The Wise Lounge, once w/ Z and once alone
- attended The Reviberators @ The Wise Lounge w/ friends
- went bowling w/ Z & friends
- went out to the club for our friend R’s bday
- watched Hamnet at home w/ Z & friends
- watched Send Help w/ Z & friends @ Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver
- watched Train Dreams at home alone
- watched The Boy and the Heron at home alone in two sittings
- watched Arco @ Rio Theatre w/ my friend G
- watched Heat w/ my friend M at his apartment
- moved out of my place in Seattle
- hosted our friend D in Vancouver
- watched Phantom Thread at home w/ Z & our friend D
-
made an offer on a condo w/ Z
- got our offer accepted for the condo
-
visited Z’s family in the Greater Toronto Area
-
got a mortgage
-
spent a weekend in Squamish & snowboarded at Whistler w/ friends
- attended Katie Tupper show @ Fortune Sound Club w/ Z & friends
- saw Vancouver Goldeneyes hockey game vs Minnesota Frost @ Pacific Coliseum w/ friends
-
watched Arsenal vs Manchester City League Cup Final w/ many friends
- attended our Strata’s Annual General Meeting
-
joined the Strata council for our new condo
-
watched Sirāt @ The Park Theatre w/ my friends G, A, & N
-
watched Hoppers in 3D @ Cineplex International Village w/ Z
- got keys to our new condo
- interviewed for a Nexus card
- visited friends in Seattle
-
ate dinner @ Communion in Seattle after years of intending to do so but was disappointed
-
got tickets to a World Cup match
- watched The Wire seasons three, four, and five
-
moved into our new condo
-
watched Into the Manosphere at home with Z
-
watched The Drama at @ Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver w/ Z and my friend D
- watched The Conjuring at home with Z
-
listened to The Wire at 20 podcast
-
watched the remaining two thirds of Oppenheimer alone at home
-
attended Amar Singh’s Lil Cuties comedy special recording @ Little Mountain Gallery
-
bought speakers for my home office desk
-
played pitch ‘n’ putt @ Queen Elizabeth Park w/ my friends N, T, T, & A
- hosted our friend N in Vancouver
- saw live standup comedy @ Comedy After Dark w/ Z and N
-
watched The Silence of the Lambs at home w/ Z and N
-
participated in the first full Strata meeting for our condo
- hosted our friends A & M in Vancouver
-
hosted my sister M & her boyfriend B in Vancouver the night before their flight to Montreal
- had a night out @ Sneaky Pete’s Pool Cafe & The Wise Lounge w/ friends
- hosted my mom in Vancouver
- played pitch ‘n’ putt @ Queen Elizabeth Park w/ Z and my mom
-
tried a few restaurants in Vancouver: Bar Corso (really good), Violeté (poor), and Ahn and Chi (good)
- swam in rooftop pool @ our friends T & R’s building w/ Z and our friend N
- ate takeout @ our condo & watched the first episode of Jim Henson’s Dinosaurs
- watched final matches of English Premier League season
- played pitch ‘n’ putt @ Queen Elizabeth Park w/ my friend G & his friend F
- hung out & drank beer w/ my Sunday soccer team after our game @ Adanac Park
- took my friend T to the Wise Lounge for Good Times Vinyl Night
-
visited our friends T & S at their new apartment in Mt Pleasant
- visited my family in Victoria
- celebrated my younger sister’s 25th birthday
- attended Joni & Leonard: The Untold Love Story at McPherson Playhousew w/ Z, my mom, my younger sister, my older sister, and her boyfriend B
- ate dinner @ Driftwood Brewery then got ice cream from Parachute w/ Z, my mom, my younger sister, my older sister, and her boyfriend B
- hung out w/ Z, my older sister, and her boyfriend at their place
- watched Arsenal vs PSG Champions League Final w/ my mom, then also Z and my younger sister
- played golf w/ my mom @ Mt Doug Golf Course
- hung out & drank beer @ The Drake w/ my friend L
- swam & played games w/ my best friends from high school B & F
-
celebrated my older sister’s 31st birthday
- gave a tech talk at work
- watched The Invisible Man at home w/ Z
- watched Project Hail Mary @ Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver w/ Z and our friends Ro & Sa
- attended Public Disco on Granville Island w/ Z and our friends Da, Sy, Te, Tr, Ro, & Ni
-
played pitch ‘n’ putt @ Queen Elizabeth Park w/ my friends Ni, Tr, & Va – shot 60 (+6)!
-
watched Backrooms @ Cineplex International Village w/ Z
- played pitch ‘n’ putt @ Stanley Park w/ my friends Ni & Tr – shot 66, under 70 again
- watched Mexico vs South Africa @ the PNE Ampitheatre w/ my friend Fa & his brother Je
- watched Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina @ Brewhall w/ several friends
- watched Qatar vs Switzerland & then Brazil vs Morocco @ Granville Island alone & then with friends
- watched Obsession @ Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver w/ my friends Ja & Tov
- watched Canada vs Qatar & then Mexico vs South Korea @ the PNE Ampitheatre w/ several friends
- watched Ecuador vs Curacao @ the PNE Ampitheatre w/ Z and her mom
- won 1st place in both Monday & Wednesday spring Urban Rec soccer leagues
- watched Switzerland vs Canada @ Ventura bar near BC Place w/ friends
- cared for our dog Baxter after he had a broken tooth extracted
- had my annual medical exam (for the third or fourth year in a row)
- attended Egypt vs Iran World Cup match @ Lumen Field in Seattle w/ Z and my friends Is & Ke
- spent the weekend in Seattle hanging out w/ friends
-
watched Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie at home w/ Z and our friends Te & Sy
-
watched Canada vs Morocco and France vs Paraguay @ Granville Island Watch Party w/ friends
- played pitch ‘n’ putt @ Queen Elizabeth Park w/ my friends Ni, Tr, Te, & Aa
-
watched Mexico vs England @ the PNE Ampitheatre w/ Z & friends
- visited Z’s friend Ev & her boyfriend Vi in Montreal
trip to Montreal
— Mentioned in what I've done in 2026, what I'm doing now #29My wife Z and I are visiting our friends Ev & Vi for nine days. So often I find myself in Montreal when there’s a World Cup going on.
Friday 07/10/2026 – Vancouver → Montreal
- get Lyft to YVR, breakfast, free upgrade, takeoff @ 12pm
- read 1st chapter of Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak
- read five short stories by Shirley Jackson
- get picked up w/ Z by Ev @ new Mtl airport
- eat dinner @ Ev & Vi’s apt w/ Z and Ev
- walk east along St Denis, pop into Champs w/ Z and Ev
- drinks @ Big in Japan w/ Z and Ev
Saturday 07/11/2026 – Montreal
- sleep in w/ Z
- make coffee, start reading Investigations of a Dog by Kafka, read Prologue of The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- brunch @ Bar Sparrow w/ Z and Ev
- solo coffee @ Cafe Eclair
- solo bike to Bar L’Barouf to meet my friend Hik for the World Cup match but he wasn’t there and it was full
- sit at the bar of small Bar Le Pastel to watch England vs Norway, Vi joined me
- get chicken sandwiches from Portugalia, then meet Z, Ev, Vi, & Vi’s friends @ Bar Frappe for Switzerland vs Argentina
- leave w/ Z @ halftime to rest @ Ev and Vi’s apt and watch rest of the game
Sunday 07/12/2026 – Verdun & Montreal
- make coffee, have breakfast @ Ev and Vi’s apt
- drive to Verdun to play volleyball w/ Ev’s friends
- swim @ Natatorium de Verdun, free public outdoor pool
- walk in pedestrian zone in Verdun town centre
- get cortado from Lili et Oli and sabich pita sandwich from Falafel Yoni
- attend Toronto Tempo vs NY WNBA game @ Bell Centre
- bike back to Ev and Vi’s apt and rest there
- solo bike along St Denis, north up past south edge of Parc la Fontaine, then through residential streets
- lay and drowse on picnic bench looking up into trees in quiet corner of Parc des Compagnons-de-Saint-Laurent
- walk to pedestrianized Ave Mont-Royal then bike north a bit and then all the way back south to Ev and Vi’s apt
- pick up beer at Maxi
- eat homemade dinner @ Ev and Vi’s apt w/ the group
- smash and eat traditional chocolate cauldron that Vi brought from back home in Geneva
- watch a chunk of Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom w/ Vince
Monday 07/13/2026 – Montreal
- sleep in while Z and Ev hike Mont Royal
- make coffee, update my World Cup Fantasy team, and continue reading Investigations of a Dog by Kafka
- bike w/ Z down to Old Port and have brunch @ Tommy Cafe
- visit Museum of Archaelogy @ Pointe-à-Callière
- get Lyft back to the apt
- solo bike to McGill area to peruse Word (The) bookshop, then bike back to apt
- walk w/ Ev and Vi to open mic @ Parc Jeanne-Mance
Tuesday 07/14/2026 – Montreal
- go to Bar L’Barouf at opening, 1.5 hours before kickoff but it was full already
- meet my friend Hik @ Bar Le Pastel
- get takeout lunch from Bun Mam Ninh Kieu Vietnamese restaurant
- walk around Plateau looking for another place to watch the game
- return to Bar Le Pastel to watch France 0-2 Spain
- walk in Parc La Fontaine w/ Hik, then solo bike back to the apt
- walk to Schwartz’s Deli and get smoked meat poutine
- meet w/ Z and Ev to bike to Ev’s place in The Village
- hang out w/ Z, Ev, Vi, and three of their friends
- watch Scary Movie 5 then get Lyft back to the apt
- forget to attend Strata meeting on Zoom
Wednesday 07/15/2026 – Montreal
- lunch @ Cafe Santropol and coffee @ Cafe Myriade Mont Royal w/ Z
- watch Argentina 2-1 England @ the apt
- receive my Nexus card via mail
- solo bike to Mile End to get pizza from Fugazzi Pizza
- meet w/ Z and bike back to apt together
- bike downtown w/ Z, Vi, and Eva
- attend a couple shows at African Music Festival at park outside Place des Arts
- walk to L’Express for dinner to celebrate Vi’s birthday
Thursday 07/16/2026 – Montreal
- eat breakfast then stop at Boulangerie Les Co’Pains D’Abord to pick up lunch
- hike Mont St Hilaire and eat lunch at lookout spot
- drive back to Montreal and get ice cream from Iconoglace
- rest, doze, and shower
- meet Ev’s brother J at the apt
- dinner @ Satay Bros w/ the group
- visit J’s apt then drive back to the apt
Friday 07/17/2026 – Montreal
- sleep in, then make coffee and read
- solo bike downtown and visit Museum of Fine Arts
- solo cortado from Cafe Myriade
- solo bike from Griffintown, along canal, through Little Burgundy, down into the centre of Southwest Montreal
- picnic @ “Red chairs on water” park by the canal for Vi’s birthday
- go for drinks and music @ Riverside St. Henri
- get Lyft to Patati Patata near the apt to get poutine before going to bed
Saturday 07/18/2026 – Montreal
- attend Fantasia panel discussion w/ Jane Schoenbrun, Hannah Einbinder, Alice Maio, Louise Weard, and Avalon Fast
- meet w/ my friend Hik and his friend Will
- lunch @ Time Out Market w/ the group
- get coffee from Cafe Olympico w/ Hik and his friend Will
- spend time talking with my friend Hik
- take Lyft back to the apt
- watch England 6-4 France w/ Vi
- read The Secret History
- dinner @ ChuChai w/ Z
- walk home on pedestrianized Ave Duluth and come across a man playing violin beautifully
- read The Secret History until I decided to give up on it
Sunday 07/19/2026 – Montreal → Vancouver
Foolishly, I booked our return flight on the day of the World Cup final. The game is supposed to end one hour and twenty minutes before our departure time. I’m consider going to the airport early to watch the whole game there. Otherwise I will have to watch it elsewhere and hurry to the airport afterwards. If the game is tied after ninety minutes there’ll be another half hour of play and if it is still tied, penalties. In that case, they’ll be happening while we board the plane. I hope I don’t miss anything special and I regret not being able to watch the game with my friends at home.
- hosted our friend De in Vancouver
- attended Strathcona Blocks Party & Eastside Arts Festival w/ our friend De
- watched season one of Widow’s Bay w/ Z and our friend De
- attended a Vancouver Canadians baseball game w/ Z and our friends Te & Sy