tyger tyger burning bright

I had a very nice day in New York today. I woke up early enough to get out of the hotel before the elevator apocalypse happened, and then I worked at a Starbucks for a bit before meeting my friend Sherry for brunch down around Union Square.

This was quite the surprise because neither Sherry nor I live in New York, but Sherry had reached out to me last week asking where I was. It turned out we were both going to be in the city this week. She was here for much more exciting reasons than I, since she was accepting an award for best mystery novel from Libby while I'm just here to sit in a conference room with Adit and talk about spreadsheets. I let her buy me breakfast since it was a) really on Random House and b) she felt that perhaps it was deserved for me to partake in her breakfast, since her book had something to do with both rural Iowa and crypto. When she was finishing it in 2024 I was literally the only beta reader she could ask to review both of those things, and so I'm delighted that the final product was a winner. 

After brunch I went to the office, where I slogged for about eight hours straight. Then we all adjourned to Tyger, which is a Pan-Asian restaurant down around Soho. We had a semi private room for a belated Lunar New Year celebration for the New York office. This turned out to be quite fun, and I hung out and ate way too much food while discussing a variety of topics with the people at my table. And now, after a very delightful evening, I'm ready to go to bed - goodnight!

time ain't on my side, time i'll never know

I had another v. busy work day in the city that never sleeps. Unfortunately I slept slightly too long, which resulted in hitting the elevator at peak time, which resulted in a mild bit of claustrophobia because we literally stopped on twenty different floors (and were full within the first six), and it took almost ten minutes to get to the lobby. But I escaped before I totally panicked, and then the cold rain/sleet of New York washed away my nerves. I hung out at a starbucks and worked for an hour, and then I went to the office and spent another long slog sitting in the same conference room with the same people I spent yesterday with.

So, there's nothing to report there other than we made some progress and I still like them. I left the office around 6:30, walked toward my hotel, and stopped for a slightly decadent dinner at Zaytinya (a Jose Andres establishment, with v. tasty scallops and equally tasty halloumi cheese). This delayed my arrival at the hotel long enough that I was the only person in the elevator going up, which was v. welcome. And now I need to go to bed so I can get up early and pursue tomorrow's plans - goodnight!

time everlasting, time to play b sides

I had an excellent day in NYC. I woke up fairly early, got ready, and walked to a nearby Starbucks, where I worked for an hour and a half before going to the office. I tried a new workflow of recording a voice memo to myself while walking, then using AI to translate my thoughts into clear bullet points, and then putting those bullet points into slides. I'd say it saved me a couple of hours, which was a decent return on the rain forest I burned down to fuel the data center needed to achieve this. 

Then I went to the office, where I spent eight hours in a conference room with Adit (among other people) discussing audits (among other topics), which causes some subtle cognitive dissonance since no one there calls him Adit. But no one calls him the cat either, so at least that's consistent. 

When we were done, I did a bit of shopping, and then I had a solo dinner at the same place I went Saturday (no shame, they have the best gf pasta in the world). And now I'm going to bed - goodnight!

I might have lingered in purgatory

I felt a little off today, although I do not know what to attribute it to - but I got nine or ten hours of sleep last night and still needed a nap at six, so idk. I spent the morning messing around in my room, and then I met Terry for lunch at Le Petit Village in Greenwich Village. We had a delightful time - the vibe there was lovely, and then we adjourned to another spot around the corner and had a drink so we could keep the convo going. Unfortunately her plans changed and we couldn't prolong the festivities, but at least we got a proper catch up.

After we parted ways, I walked to Soho and did a bit of shopping. Then I came back to my hotel, took a nap, should have worked, and instead did basically nothing other than order sushi and chill. But now I'm going to go to bed so I can get up early and do the tings I should have done today - goodnight!

you know, know, know your only mistake is if you stand still

I am ensconced in a very comfy large bed in a very small room in New York, with a very surprising sliver of a view of the Statue of Liberty from my window. Today was as smooth as it could be - I had actually planned to leave yesterday, but I changed my flight to today and I'm v glad I did since I would not have possibly been ready yesterday.

But today I got almost a normal amount of sleep, and then I cleaned the kitchen, watered plants, showered, and grabbed the last few tings before leaving. I was slightly later than I wanted to be, but I still had time for an omelette and a mimosa at the airport before boarding. We took off early and got to New York almost 30min early, and my bags were at the carousel when I walked up to them (I overpacked, partially bc I didn't have time to figure out this week's variable weather, partially to have room in case I buy tings). And I was at my hotel about an hour after landing, which I consider a success.

Then I did a speed round of unpacking and fitting everything Tetris-style into the room's very limited storage. And then I got a manicure at a place around the corner - they were surprisingly good, and so even though I chose a color that may have come out slightly too goth, I'm pretty delighted.

Then I grabbed an early solo dinner at La Pecora Bianca, which has perhaps the best gluten free pasta of any restaurant I've been to (they apparently make it in house). But I was exceedingly tired, and so when I got back to my room, I promptly passed out. It's now midnight NYC time and I've slept most of the last four hours, so I anticipate some struggles tonight...but we shall see. Goodnight!

now and then i think of all the times you screwed me over

I slogged today, of course - it started out somewhat laid back, and so I was able to wander around the house while drinking coffee and recording voice memos to myself of all the tings I need to do and tings I'm thinking through. And, I walked to City Hall to sign something related to my official duties - while it wasn't super warm out, temps in the 40s and plenty of sunshine is better than it has been. So, I enjoyed the walk and I enjoyed my chat with the city clerk, and that was all great.

But then I had five hours of meetings, and then I was a bit fried. Sometime in there [censored] got home, and we ended up watching the first two episodes of the 'Scrubs' reboot, which were surprisingly good and quite nostalgic. I also ate some leftover chili, contemplated various tasks, and started planning my packing list for my next trip.

And now I need to go to sleep since I need to do a million and one things tomorrow. Goodnight!

dancing in the dark

I had an absolutely brutal slog today - meetings straight from 9:30 to 5:30, no breaks, and then a couple of hours of follow ups after. And I had to do some work before my first meeting to pull things together for all these meetings. Luckily they were all internal, so I could wear sweats and also eat leftover beef and noodles while talking, but still. 

By the time I was done, I was done done, and so I poured a glass of zinfandel, ate some leftover frozen gluten free pizza (which was way better than that phrase implies), and spent the evening scrolling / listening to music / doing skincare / journaling. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!