Year 2 of Digital Nomad Lifestyle

On March 19th, I celebrated my one year anniversary of living "on the road" (well, not really, but it sounded good!). It almost did not feel like digital nomad lifestyle after I had been in Nashville stationary for 4 months. I got used to the neighborhood (yes, and the train noise too), regularly see the same neighbors and was even asked out by a late-middle aged man who regularly walks his dog by my house. It was time to move on to the next destination. 

After 4 months being in one place, I felt rather comfortable, so getting out of my comfort zone and travel for 2 days to reach Colorado Springs was a bit an anxious process. The last night in Nashville my host returned from Texas where they stayed in their RV at a camping spot. The parked in the driveway and slept in the RV, while I spent the last night in the house. 

Early in the morning, we did a walk-through, and I was on my way to Missouri where I would stay for the night. The drive time was just under 8 hours, but it turned into about a 9-hour trip. Good timing! Kitty was pretty calm most of the way, and as we checked in in our Airbnb, he felt right at home. I can't stop admiring his resilience! 

The Airbnb was not as private as I thought but had amazing details and was extremely clean.

Bedroom - note lavender on the towels

Second bedroom - this is where I slept because of the more comfortable mattress

Bathroom

Fresh lilac flowers - I intended to take them with me, but forgot :(

Homemade muffin - it was eaten within an hour of arrival

Kitty stretching his legs after a long drive while blending in with the carpet

My favorite piece - "Not all who wander are lost"

I also bought a dozen fresh eggs from the owner who had chickens in the backyard. It was a lovely experience.

The following day I was on my way to Colorado Springs where my friend had already checked in the house we rented together. The second day was a bit longer, but I arrived safely by 3 PM local time.

The house was big, and I took the upstairs, while my friend liked the basement. Compared to Airbnbs, this house was rented directly by the owner through Furnished Finder. The host was not experienced, so the house was not clean. In fact, I had to clean a lot myself. The kitchen had some stuff, but not like it would typically be equipped in an Airbnb. While disappointed with the cleanliness of the house, I was happy with the neighborhood. Very quiet and peaceful even though the houses were squeezed in together. 

The views were also very nice.

I knew it was going to take a little while to get used to living with someone. I has been almost 10 years since I shared living space with another human! And surely it did!

Last month in Nashville - new hikes, clinical trial for insomnia & summer weather

As the last month rolled in, I knew I wanted to maximize the time I had left in Nashville. There were still a few hikes I had on my "to-do" list that I didn't even touch in the past few months. With the weather improving quickly, I wanted to get out and enjoy the outdoors once again after a long period of time being stuck inside.

The first hike of April was a paved trail half an hour away from my rental. Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail was not on top of my list, but after a few days of rain I wanted to avoid mud. Located in Ashland City, the trail is technically around 13 miles, although in reality it was closer to 10, in and out. I headed out nice and early and got there to see only two cars in the parking lot. The trail itself was terrific going along the what appeared to be a beaver dam in the forest followed by a river. I found a lot of pretty mini- waterfalls.

Small streams flowed along the paved trail

Water formed into small waterfalls in several spots along the trail

The wildflowers were all over the sides of the trail. It was great to see some color after what appeared to be a long winter season.

The bridge over the river had nice views, but the water was really muddy after a long streak of rainy days.

Another hike I did was about an hour away from "home" in Montgomery Bell State Park. Wildcat to Montgomery Trail (it has a longer name, but who cares) was a really interesting trail, a bit isolated, but picturesque nevertheless.

Multiple fallen trees showed how brutal the winter season has been with rain and winds pulling the tree right out of the ground. In one spot there were at least 5 trees all uprooted blocking the trail.

Corridor of trees

Some spots were fully alive and blooming, but there were not as many wildflowers as I saw just a week earlier in another park half an hour away.

The weather was initially gloomy but no rain in the forecast. About 3 miles from the parking lot on my way back the sprinkle started, and then turned into a misty rain soaking my jacked and drenching my hair. Having a shower in the morning was a waste of time. 

The rain did bring a different atmosphere to the views that I passed by. Everything appeared even more peaceful than before.

I was glad to be back in my car after 8 miles of walking.

Hiking was not the only activity I engaged in during this timeframe. I made delicious food.

First successful pizza with super thin crust

My staple egg/avocado toast that I have for breakfast

I also ordered delicious food, although this was the first time I went to a restaurant in a while.

Egg Bowl at Café Roze

Avocado hummus toast

I took pictures of ordinary settings, objects and cats that appeared to be memorable.

Sunset from the deck of my rental

Fake fireplace on Roku and a real cat

Real cat with a real tongue

And I even started to take part in the clinical study for insomnia using Sleepio.

More insomnia, work travel and routine

It's been a while since I wrote a post here. My life has become more of a routine versus constant exploring. It could be related to the fact that my insomnia continues without a break in sight erasing all desire to look for adventure, or perhaps it is the knowledge that I still have a few months to live here. Or maybe it is because it's the winter time (or was...) and I have little desire to do anything. Most likely, it is the combination of all of the above.

In the past two months, I have dealt with severe insomnia going from doctor to doctor to determine what is wrong with me. After multiple visits, a sleep study, blood tests, a brain MRI and even CBT-i sessions, I am in the same spot where I started. I have learned what sleeping pills work for me and which one don't, learned more about insomnia than I could have ever desired to learn, tried CBD and massage therapy and even enrolled in a clinical study (albeit very non-invasive). I gathered information about my sleep in a polysomnographic study that proved to be just that, information. No usable treatment options were determined. Perhaps a waste of time? I don't think so. It was pretty interesting to read the findings!

My sleep study room; and the wires on the wall that would be connected to my head, arms and legs - go ahead and enjoy a night of sleep!

A sad TV showing distorted image - for the price of the study they could at least have invested in modern technology!

I did some hiking, but minimal. I certainly won't beat my last year's almost 400 mile achievement at this rate nor do I aspire to. Somehow my goals became irrelevant with this sleep issue.

Radnor Park - one of my favorite trails in Nashville

A wild turkey in Radnor park

Wild turkeys right outside the house

I traveled to Houston for work in February and to LA in March. Both trips went okay. A lot of food, but drinking was minimal - I can't tolerate alcohol well anymore, even in small quantities.

I didn't go out to any restaurants, only when one was part of a Yelp event - an Italian place in Hermitage, Tutti Da Gio.

Delicious Italian style pizza - the crust was top notch but mozzarella was not super fresh

I also went to see a concert. I mean, how can you live in Nashville for so long and not visit a music event. Il Divo was fantastic, even 10 years after I saw them last time.

Il Divo

I somewhat lost touch with the girlfriends I made earlier. Most likely, because my lack of desire to go out with them. I guess after I declined at least 3 invitations, people just moved on. I did stay in touch with my Italian friend from Spencer who I met several months ago when I lived there. We hiked once and even decided to go to Colorado Springs together.

John Clayborn Millennial Trail was a pleasant 10-mile hike with about 1,400 ft elevation gain. It's been a while since I did this much hiking...

Lovely cows on the other side of the fence of the trail

Still wintry view of the river

I have been enjoying walks in the neighborhood though. It's also interesting to see the nature change in an urban environment.

Two tulips in the neighbor's front yard

I still enjoy eating, probably more than I should. Below is my first attempt at bagels. They look better than they tasted!

My California trip was quite good. I had a chance to explore Venice Beach and eat fantastic food as part of the food tour that I found for the group.

The view of Angeles National Forest in CA - all covered in snow

My first destination was the beach - I missed having beautiful California views

The boardwalk offered a pleasant stroll and exposure to odd-looking people

A philly roll was a must-have - Tennessee is not great with sushi...

View from an outdoor restaurant in our hotel

I fought to get this fireplace turned on in my room

Marina view during my morning stroll

...followed by this outstanding breakfast scramble - one of the best at hotels

Another great view from a restaurant at the end of our work retreat

And a view while I was waiting for the most incredible sushi below at KazuNori

Terrific to-go presentation from KazuNori - I hope to be back there one day

And that's about it. In two months... The desire to take photos, as you can see, was minimal, but I intend to improve on that. If insomnia is becoming part of my life, I have to adapt as well. In the meantime, one more month to go before my trip to Colorado.