Third day in Mexico City again and already my habits have changed: Jogging and exercise first thing in the morning, followed by a hefty breakfast (eggs and meat + fruit bowl or juice + coffee), and then work straight into the late afternoon. These days I'm mostly working out the last stretch in THE SOLAR GRID (about a chapter and a half), which mostly entails lots of thinking, plotting, scriptwriting, and thumbnailing. It's the grand finale of an 8-year-long journey, and for everything to land just right I need to handle it with utmost care.

Between all the deets involved in divorce stuff back in Houston, in addition to all the necessary home studio tweaks calling out to me in the new place I moved into last March, it's been very difficult to concentrate or get anything done efficiently. My trip to CDMX, kind of a fluke, has come as a godsend.

It was back in April when I had accidentally booked a wrong flight (I blame the tooth agony) which apparently could not be cancelled but could be altered, as long as it was within the year 2023. I chose December for no particular reason, but it works out great because I was due for a routine dental visit anyway, and the tattoo I got here back in April needed some touching up. Mexico City, as it just so happens is where I come for self-maintenance. Not just physical maintenance, but maintenance of the soul as well. I'm able to think here, to contemplate with a clear head. And everything about the place satisfies me: the sounds, the smells, the aesthetics, and the way things operate. It all sits very well with me.

It's also a good place for me creatively. Last time I was here I wrote the first draft of a short science fiction story for a forthcoming anthology, and this time I'm working out the finale for my long in-progress graphic novel.

My Spanish is still shit though. It's something I've decided to focus on resolving going forward. Despite Mexico no longer being a possibility of a place to relocate, not with the legalities surrounding the joint custody arrangement I have with my child's mother now. But Mexico City is only a 3-hour flight from Houston, so it can ostensibly become a place I revisit 2-3 times a year. Just for maintenance.

#journal #travel #cdmx

Never got around to writing about my time at Cairocomix (four weeks ago already!) and Zinefest Houston less than a couple weeks ago, both of which were amazing. Time has passed though and I'm already in a very different headspace. It's been wall-to-wall madness for many months now, but as the year comes to an end, so do the many disruptions that have colored the majority of 2023 for me. At least, I think so anyway.

Playing catch up on many fronts here at the studio, and boy do I hate playing catch up. Makes me approach the work with many anxious feels that are less than ideal.

#journal #work

Spent the most magical few days alone with my son. Exhausting, sure. That toddler energy is no joke, but it's been bonding in a special kind of way. Post-divorce fatherhood just may end up being my jam after all.

#journal

Woke up with migraine, heart still in my stomach from all the News which clearly points to a genocide in the making, largely cheered on by major global powers and their news outlets.

Opened tab on my browser and Microsoft Edge front page—which aggregates news from across the web—is carouseling through the following headlines:

• Man DIYs concrete pathway that looks like old cobblestone.
• Why mortgage rates are still heading down despite rising bond yields
• It's Pumpkin Season in Miami!
• Hybrid Workers Spend an Average $51 a day when they go into office
• Gen Z buys a $200 plot of land in the middle of a desert: a grounding human experience
• How soon can I refinance my mortgage?
• I Went to a Dinner Party Full of Strangers. It taught me that the secret to avoiding loneliness isn't...
• So What's the most attractive accent according to Americans?

What fresh dystopia is this?

#journal

Between all the News and divorce stuff, I am finding it difficult to avoid depression. Days are a slog and progress on TSG pages are agonizingly slow. I did however manage to pump these out:

Decolonize Your Mind: A1 & B1

Was planning on writing my newsletter today, but could not find the time, energy, or peace of mind to do so.

#journal

After having had a second bike stolen in Houston—from inside my building of residence no less—I have decided to acquire a foldable commuter bike for my transportation needs, something I can carry up the stairs with relative ease and tuck away in one of the corners of my abode.

It's an adequately minimalist thing; single speed and breaks by pedaling backwards. No wires, no fuss. Considerably lightweight at 26 lbs (11.8 kg) and surprisingly comfy to ride. This is the Judd folding bike from Retrospec. I'm thinking of maybe replacing the straight handlebar with Dutch-style one for added riding comfort, knowing that it would no longer fold as well with the handlebar attached. But I think I may be able to live with that.

#journal

Still raining profusely. This throws a dent in my morning walk routine which doubles as my daily grocery run, and thus I am without food this morning.

Will have to resort to having stuff delivered, something I've been successful at avoiding for a time now. It's okay to make exceptions every now and again though.

Rain is my kryptonite. In fact, all weather conditions aside from temperate blue skies are my kryptonite. What can I say; I'm a spoiled child of the Mediterranean.

#journal

It's been raining nonstop since sunrise.

Sunrise in this case being a misnomer because there has been no sight of sun at all, which depresses me to no end and catapults me to the deep ends of low-energy fatigue.

Will have to cook something nice and curl up with a book later.

#journal

Wrapped up thumbs on THE SOLAR GRID, Ch. 8 (#9) and started on pencils. Feels good. The 198th newsletter was sent out a few days ago, considering taking a different direction with the thing come #200. Perhaps something more column-like.

#journal #work

Bicycle thieves are the scum of the Earth.

#journal