pork chops and carpets

19/10/2026 - Keeping the Wheels Turning
Some days seem determined to test whether the wheels will keep turning.
The day started early. Very early.
By the afternoon I'd already moved drawers, prepared rooms for new carpets, spent nearly an hour recovering forgotten passwords after Sheila's computer unexpectedly met the floor, argued with artificial intelligence about the unauthorised appearance of ginger cats, discussed the nature of time itself, and somehow found my way into planning supper.
Looking back over it, none of those things were on the original agenda.
That's often how life works.
The interesting part isn't the interruptions themselves. Most people deal with interruptions every day. The interesting part is what happens afterwards.
Years ago, a single unexpected problem could derail an entire day. One complication arrives and everything else gets pushed aside. The momentum disappears. Plans are abandoned. Frustration takes over.
These days I find myself approaching things differently.
A problem arrives.
Deal with it.
Another arrives.
Deal with that one too.
The computer password isn't known.
Find another route.
The verification code doesn't arrive.
Try something else.
The email account is forgotten.
Work backwards.
The task remains the same. The route simply changes.
Eventually every obstacle becomes just another stepping stone.
By the end of the recovery process, Facebook was accessible again, email was accessible again and, perhaps most importantly, a fifteen-year-old FarmVille account survived another day.
To an outside observer that may sound trivial.
To the person who spent years building it, it matters.
The same principle appeared elsewhere during the day.
Artificial intelligence has an odd habit of quietly changing things. A project can have established rules, established characters and established visual themes, then suddenly a random ginger cat appears where no ginger cat has ever been invited.
Flop and Jerry remain black cats.
The machine occasionally disagrees.
The battle continues.
By the evening, with the house preparations largely complete and tomorrow's carpet fitting looming on the horizon, attention finally shifted towards food.
A thick pork chop took centre stage.
Paprika and chilli replaced part of the original seasoning plan. Butter, garlic, honey, white wine and chicken stock became a sauce. Chestnut mushrooms joined the party along the way. The recipe evolved in real time, borrowing a little from one chef, a little from another and a little from last night's successful steak experiment.
Much like the day itself.
Not everything had gone according to plan.
Yet somehow everything had still moved forward.
The passwords were recovered.
The drawers were emptied.
The carpets were ready to arrive.
The pork chop was in the oven.
And the wheels kept turning.
Sometimes that's all a successful day really is.

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