write a letter

I had an entirely uneventful travel day yesterday - I got up in time to journal,  and then I packed and ate one last room service breakfast before dropping off my rental car and going to the airport. I was absurdly early because I'm used to Denver taking a long time to get through, but security was a breeze, and I killed time with a slightly disappointing soup before boarding. I made it to Des Moines on time, and got home in time to have dinner with Mom and [censored] - Mom had made vegetable beef soup, which was much better than my lunch soup, so that was exciting. 

Today I was about as lazy as I anticipated I would be after my trip. But I took care of a few tasks, made some lists, grabbed groceries, and made chicken and rice for dinner. [Censored] and I enjoyed it while watch SNL, which was a fairly weak episode but still entertaining. And then I spent several hours reading the book for this week's work book club - we chose THE CORRESPONDENT, which was quite good, and I devoured it in one sitting. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

i make my own luck

I had an excellent final day in Colorado. I woke up early enough to do some work in the lobby over mediocre coffee, and then I continued to work while eating breakfast. Then I drive to Boulder, where I ensconced myself in a cafe and took a few meetings before meeting Morganne for lunch at Postino. Morganne and I knew each other through all three of my stints at my former (and her continued) employer, and we had much to catch up on. We accomplished this over gluten free bruschetta and various wine-type libations, and it was an excellent way to spend a couple of hours. 

Then I went back to a cafe and worked for a couple of hours before slacking off to go to my favorite stationery store and to the Boulder bookstore. Just as I was about to leave, Katie informed me that her family was coming down with something, and so I decided to be cowardly / honor my self preservation instinct and skip hanging out with them tonight.

Instead, I drove back to Denver, spent some time relaxing, and also packed most of my things. Then I went down to the bar, where I journaled while eating a steak and drinking tempranillo and observing a guy who seemed to have two sugar babies with him (up from one last night). Sadly I'm checking out tomorrow and so won't know if he's continuing this linear progression.

At some point I was just about ready to call it a night, but then I started chatting with an Australian guy, which (v uncharacteristically) turned into me taking him on a ride in a waymo. Waymo just launched in Denver last week, and he can't take them bc it's only open for US residents, and I am a waymo evangelist, so you'll have to trust me when I say that it was a v entertaining experience despite its unusual nature.

And now it's time for bed since I have to head to the airport tomorrow - goodnight!

go through the evolution

I had a pretty nice day in Denver - I basically didn't stray more than three blocks from my hotel, but I kind of needed that. I spent the whole day slogging through a variety of meetings, and then I grabbed a late afternoon snack at the bar. I also went to Room and Board to sit in a variety of dining room chairs and make some decisions about what I want to order for my dining room - results tbd, but I think I have a plan (once I get the dining room painted, which is an annoyance).

Then I ran to the mall, where I didn't buy anything; came back to my room, where I worked/dozed; and went back downstairs for another snack. My eating times have been very bizarre on this trip, and so I had a sushi roll at 9pm - but the roll was excellent and quite interesting, and also the bartender comped me a v nice tequila shot (it's nice to know that I've still got my talking-to-bartenders skill even though I'm at an advanced age and don't get much opportunity to practice in southern Iowa).

And now, I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

top down

I had a nice day off today, although now I wish I could take off the rest of the week. I woke up in time to do a hike with Aunt B, which was v nice. Then I said my goodbyes and drove back to Denver, with a stop for Starbucks along the way.

When I got to Denver, I grabbed lunch (a dozen oysters, fries, and a glass of rosé), ran a couple of errands, and then checked in and unpacked. I was going to stay in Boulder this week, but I decided that I'd rather be in Denver, so I rebooked the hotel I stayed in yesterday. Hopefully it's good for working the rest of the week, but we shall see.

Eventually I drove to my old neighborhood, where I hung out with Caroline and Alice at El Camino (home of the best nachos in the world). It was strange to be back there - both like no time had passed at all, and like I had never lived there at all. And now, with those thoughts in my head, I need to sleep - goodnight!

more than a name

I had a v productive day - so productive that I feel like it's later in the week than Tuesday. I got up early and ran an errand and grabbed coffee, and then I slogged in my hotel room (with room service breakfast) until my late checkout at 3pm. Starving, I took another hour of calls from the bar while eating a couple of tacos.

Then I slammed my laptop shut and drove south to Aunt Becky's, where I am now ensconced in her guest room. She made a v tasty dinner (jalapeno poppers, pork loin medallions, twice baked potatoes, and salad) and I had a limoncello spritz to go with it. We chatted for quite awhile, but eventually it was clear that I was too tired to continue - and now it's time for bed. Goodnight!

carry me home tonight

No blog tonight - I slogged incessantly all day, and then decompressed with a solo steak at the hotel bar. So I'm wiped out, but at least a little more caught up than I felt when I woke up. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

born slippy

I had a lovely day in Denver, and I wish I didn't have to work tomorrow, because I would like to continue just having fun. I woke up and had a v leisurely hour drinking cold brew and journaling in the lobby. Then Katie and I grabbed breakfast at the hotel restaurant, which was as delicious as it was yesterday. We continued to chat in our room for a bit, and then Katie took a stroll while I showered and packed. 

After we were ready, we still had an hour to hang out before parting ways, and so we walked down Sixteenth Street for a bit. They've finally finished renovating it, and the shops are slowly starting to repopulate, so that was nice to see. And I bought a pair of shoes by one of my favorite shoemakers, which was sold by a small independent shoe store, so I felt like I basically had to support them, amirite?

Sadly all good things come to an end, and so Katie and I parted ways. We could have hung out another week and not run out of things to talk about, but I'm sure we have many other weekends in our future for such shenanigans.

After Katie went home, I checked out of the hotel, took an Uber to a car rental place, picked up a car, and checked into my new hotel, which I went to for a change of scene. It's quite nice, which is why I'd rather just hang out tomorrow, but c'est la vie. After I checked in, I unpacked, washed a couple of things in the sink like a peasant, and then had some tacos at the hotel bar to fend off starvation. And I took a nap because I'm v short on sleep compared to my usual weeks. 

Eventually I rallied, did a bit of work, and then went to Sunnyside to meet up with Andy and Nina. They were some of my favorite denverites when I lived here, and they continue to be on the shortlist when I come to town. We had an excellent sushi experience at Nozomi, and then we grabbed a cocktail at Semiprecious, which was excellent. My daiquiri was one of the best I've had, and I was sad not to finish it, but I'm getting old and need to sleep tonight.

So we had a fantastic and meandering conversation, and then I came back to my hotel with the goal of going to bed early. Goodnight!

it was a graveyard smash

Katie and I had an excellent day in Denver. I woke up early and went downstairs to drink free coffee and journal until Katie was ready, and then we grabbed a v nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After we were done, I took a quick shower, and then we went to Alamo Drafthouse to see "You Can See Everything". It's the new documentary about Elizabeth Holmes (of theranos infamy), and it was three hours long and completely wild for all of it. It gave us much to discuss and ponder, which was a great way to spend a somewhat cold and cloudy afternoon. 

Then we came back, went to Ultreia in Union Station, and ate tapas and drank wine while debriefing. We took a break in the room to decompress, and then we forced ourselves to wake up (a difficult feat) and spent another few hours hanging out at a bar in the Dairy Block + the bar at our hotel. We are aging, and so we only had two cocktails and a mocktail each, so hopefully my body rewards my forbearance tomorrow. 

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!