The New World of Lonnie Mandigo

March 2026 I didn't live in the early 1900s. That's obvious, but it matters for what I'm about to say, because there's a kind of knowing that only comes from being inside a moment — from the texture of daily optimism, the particular flavor of a culture's confidence in itself. I can read about it. I can look at the photographs, the architecture, the World's Fair pavilions. But I can't feel what an educated American felt in 1908, waking up in a country clearly on the rise, watching the newspapers carry dispatches from a Europe busily, almost eagerly, destroying itself. What I can do is notice that I might be living the mirror image of that moment — from a different seat.

Morning routine—except there was no morning. International Date Line crossing. Christchurch arrival. Beer and bureaucracy. Nelson flight. Johnny Trousers. Cathedral gardens. Oysters at Sprig & Fern. Whiskey discoveries at Kismet.

Morning routine. Picked up rental car. Lunch at Benchwarmers. Deployment system refinements. Google Workspace MCP expansion. PhotoPrism storage discovery. New Zealand trip finalization. Formal Logic. For We Are Many audiobook.

Morning routine. Published previous day's blog post. Completed journal. Networking troubleshooting. Apple MCP infrastructure work. PhotoPrism deployment. Sage's 21st birthday celebration at Squirrels and Block 15.

Morning routine. Dan Carlin podcast. Coffee with Jim at Coffee Culture. Journaling session. Walk to Winco for travel supplies. Phone call with Sage on her birthday. Evening beers with Michael, Tim, and Cathy at Suds. Late conversation with Steve about AI agents and market dynamics. Mission Impossible and The Saint.

Morning routine. SESIG face-to-face at Imagine Coffee. Databases and technical conversations. MFF Management Team meeting covering legal strategy and property maintenance. Pre-packing for New Zealand. Exercise session. Yoga. Hot tub. Formal Logic lecture.