i'm either busting at the seams or i'm broke down

I had a lovely day in the metropolis, but now I'm safely ensconced back in my small town life. I woke up after a sufficient quantity of sleep, got ready, and then walked to the nearest Starbucks so that I could load up on caffeine. When I got back to the hotel, I worked for three hours and was shockingly productive - especially shocking since I feel like I haven't been productive in weeks (that is, of course, a gross exaggeration). Then I picked up a sandwich from Palmer's Deli in the Skywalk, came back to the hotel, worked for another hour, and finally packed up and left.

My next destination was West Des Moines. I had an allergy appointment late in the afternoon, but I needed a place to take a couple of meetings from. I found a new Starbucks that is quite nice, settled in, and was able to take my calls without any issue. I also made a quick detour to Floor and Decor to look at tile - when a staff member came up to me and asked if I needed help, I said that I was in the very beginnings of a design and construction of a bathroom remodel. This was factually accurate, although I didn't say that the number of bathrooms is between three and six, depending on various tings that might happen in the next couple. But I always enjoy looking at tile, so it was a fun detour.

Then I went to my allergy appointment, and we talked for much longer than was strictly necessary, mostly about waymo's and my extreme crab allergy (okay, maybe the crab allergy was relevant to an appointment with an allergy doctor, but we probably didn't need to go as deep as we did). Then I went to Target to load up on toiletries and Whole Foods to load up on groceries. I had wanted to go to Costco, but it was so hot that I didn't feel like adding more groceries to my car was really feasible without causing earlier purchases to get damaged.

So I drove home, unloaded my car, loaded up my freezer, and then hung out with [censored] until it was time for bed. And now I need to sleep so that I can accomplish all the things tomorrow - goodnight!

always gotta push my luck

I am safely ensconced in a hotel in downtown Des Moines, in the middle of the pursuit of a whole stack of errands. I occasionally need to get enough things done in the city, and without actually taking a day off, that it makes sense to come up, spend the night, and work from a hotel. 

So this morning I got up early, did some work while still in my pajamas, and then threw some stuff in a bag, watered various plants, and headed north. I left a little later than planned, so I stopped at Starbucks in Indianola to take a couple of meetings. Then I proceeded to Des Moines, but I was cutting it too close to figure out lunch, and I even up living dangerously by going to Long John Silvers. I hadn't been there in years (probably since one of Dad's hospital trips), and the gluten is definitely not my friend, but their two piece fish basket still slaps even though the fries are now waffle fries and the hush puppies seem smaller. 

Thus sated/poisoned, I went to my salon, where I got my hair cut and colored. The colorist was new to me, but she was significantly better than the woman I used to see in West Des Moines, so I think I'm sold on switching to this salon. Unfortunately the woman who cut my hair is going on maternity leave (fortunately for her, obviously), but hopefully the interim stylist is just as good. 

So that took awhile, and then I took a meeting from my car, sped to my hotel, checked in, and did three more hours of meetings from here. Feeling accomplished, I eventually went downstairs and had a drink and a steak (both massive) at the bar. And now I think I'm going to go to bed early so I can do all the things tomorrow - goodnight!

say goodbye to hollywood

I'm unusually tired tonight because I accidentally got up unusually early this morning. But I had a good day - I did a bit of writing before work, and then I quickly showered and had meetings straight through from ten to six with an insufficient thirty minute break in the mid afternoon.

After that I was wiped out, so I watered indoor and outdoor plants, did some laundry, and then sat on my balcony and pretended to plan future tasks but instead mostly zoned out. When [censored] got home I had a late dinner of various leftovers while chatting with him. And now I am going to go to bed a bit earlier than usual and hope that revives me - goodnight!

evening glow

I managed to be somewhat diligent at work today, by the skin of my teeth - I wasn't feeling it when I woke up, but I eked out a solid 8-9 hours of productivity (much of which was meetings). By six I was feeling done, and so I went outside and spent a good hour and a half gardening. I also talked to my mom and listened to an audiobook while doing so, which was quite nice. I got more tomatoes planted, planted some peppers and eggplants, got my mint and rosemary going, and generally felt quite pleased with my progress.

Then I ate a brownie, came upstairs with a glass of rosé, and wrote on my balcony until it was dark and the mosquitos started to come for me. Then I ate a late dinner of leftover tomatoes/mozzarella, steak, and baked potato, came upstairs, and wrote some more. And now I need to go to bed immediately if I'm going to repeat any of these feats tomorrow - goodnight!

you bury your treasure where it can't be found

I had a v nice weekend, thanks for asking - it's amazing what sun and eighty-degree whether can do for my mood. Yesterday I spent some quality time in the morning writing, and then I did various yard type activities. I finally got my raised beds fully prepped with additional dirt, and I planted some of the tings that I needed to plant. Then I ran an errand to Chariton to get some stakes for my plants + go to the larger grocery store there. I was in the mood to make caprese salad, and the local grocery store didn't have mozzarella, but luckily I was able to get it there. Then I came home, did some more tings, and eventually went to bed.

Today got off to a productive note earlier than usual, mostly because I was making lunch for family and needed to start the prep early. I put the tomatoes for the caprese salad in the oven (trust me) by 8:30am, and then I spent a couple of hours cleaning the dining room, reorganizing stuff in the garage that was blocking the east door, and getting the grill ready for the first grilling of the season.

This was all in preparation for a v. exciting visit - Drewbaby and Sammie and Aunt Kathy came down for the day, and they (obviously) brought Marcella (aka Drewbaby's baby). Kathy also brought ribeye, which was almost as exciting as the baby, but not quite. And Mom brought a pineapple upside down cake, which was v. tasty. We had a fun time hanging out today, and many stories were shared, and if Marcella comprehends any of it, I'm sure she will be eagerly awaiting more wonders that southern Iowa may hold for her in the future.

So, we hung out all day, and then everyone left (including [censored]), and suddenly I had the house to myself. I needed a bit of time to recuperate, which turned into not getting much done, but that's okay. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

love's the loudest sound

I have had a v boring week and I have nothing to report, which makes blogging feel somewhat excruciating. I worked all day yesterday, then got allergy shots, and then met Mom at the cemetery to decorate Dad and Gram/Granddad's graves. Dad's headstone got installed a couple of weeks ago, and it looks quite nice - of course, I would prefer if it did not need to exist, but since it does, I'm glad that it's taken care of. Then I came home and made elmer's chili for dinner, watched some SNL with [censored], and did various tasks until around midnight.

This morning I woke up late thanks to the late night, spent the morning attempting to write with mixed results, and then did a bunch of random stuff around the house / yard this afternoon. I need to get my plants in the ground, but that requires a bunch of prep, and I've been quite slow. However, I made some progress this afternoon before taking a break to make brownies for a belated treat for [censored]'s birthday. Then we went out to Mom's house, where I grilled brats, which we ate with some v tasty potato salad and baked beans that Mom made. It was a very nice day for being outside and grilling, and I hope that we finally warm up and stay warm, because this cold / cloudy spring is starting to get to me.

But now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

stick season

I have had v little to report since coming home - I was pretty wrecked on Tuesday thanks to the long travel day, and that feeling partially continued into Wednesday.

Yesterday I was a bit more able to get some tings done, which I did - and then I slacked off to go into town and have a margarita with Brenda and Bonita. Brenda and I had meant to get together for awhile and finally made plans after seeing each other at a board meeting last week - and then she invited Bonita so we could discuss various mural-related things. It was nice to hang out with them, and also nice to take a break from my laptop, so I'm glad we did it. 

Then I grabbed takeout for me and [censored], got some groceries, came home, relaxed/almost napped, and then miraculously wrote from nine to midnight. Of course, that made this morning a bit rough, but coffee went a long way toward helping me. I gave [censored] a ride to pick up his [censored], and then I came home and did day job stuff quite diligently all day. I wanted to write again tonight, but my brain refused, so I did some journaling and various other small tasks and generally chilled. 

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!