Actually about your question from earlier — I finally got around to trying that sourdough starter recipe you sent. It took a full nine days to get bubbly but this morning it finally doubled in size and smelled really tangy and good. I fed it again and planning to bake my first loaf this weekend. The whole kitchen smells warm and yeasty now. I wasn't sure if my tap water was too chlorinated so I switched to filtered water on day five and that seemed to help a lot. Also learned you're not supposed to keep it in the fridge until it's really active and established. Wish I had started this sooner but now I'm hooked. I already started a second batch using whole wheat flour just to compare the flavor and rise. My neighbor gave me some of her discard and that one is going even faster. If you want I can save you some starter for your own bake. Just let me know and I'll bring it by next time I'm in your area. It's actually pretty low maintenance once it gets going. I've been naming mine Bruce and it's become a little morning ritual.

A friend asked me about my experience learning guitar over the past few months and I told them it's been a really rewarding challenge. I started with a cheap acoustic I found at a thrift store and honestly the action was so high my fingers hurt for weeks. I almost quit but then I watched some beginner tutorials online and learned how to adjust the truss rod and lower the strings. That made a huge difference. Now I practice about twenty minutes most evenings and I can play through about six songs all the way without stopping. My chord transitions are still a little clunky on anything with a B minor but I'm getting there. I also joined a small weekly group that meets at a community center and it's been great to play with other beginners. We all mess up together and nobody judges. One of the guys showed me a trick for barre chords using the side of your index finger instead of the pad and that actually helped a ton. I'm hoping to eventually play well enough to do a small open mic night just for fun. Not trying to impress anyone just want to feel comfortable on stage. If you ever wanted to start I'd say just grab any guitar and commit to ten minutes a day. The first month is the hardest but after that it starts to feel natural.