somehow we mixed up goodbye and goodnight

I had an excellent day yesterday, although I was dragging due to staying up until two a.m. watching election results. I am unfortunately completely slammed at work, so I didn't get to fully contemplate this week's sea change, but still. After all my many and varied meetings yesterday, I took a break to v uncharacteristically make myself Indian food - if I lived in a city I would have ordered takeout, but I had some paneer (cheese) that needed used, and so I made palak paneer in my instant pot + butter chicken and butter paneer on the stove. The palak paneer recipe was a new effort, while the butter chicken was made with a spice packet and some cream/butter/tomatoes - but all of it turned out very well.

So I feasted last night, and then [censored] had to deal with the smell of food he had no interest in eating, but c'est la vie. Today I woke up and immediately had to go to town for allergy shots, and then I came home and slogged relentlessly all day. I should have done more work tonight than I did, but I was feeling fried, so I drank a glass of wine, ate leftovers, and chilled until now.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

e pluribus unum

I have been watching election coverage since I finished work, and I'm delighted - but mostly I'm relieved. It was beyond time for the people to stop putting up with the corruption, grift, and strongman-worship of the current incarnation of the republican party. I hope this is the start of a realignment that leads to having a more serious, legitimate conservative party that actually cares about balancing a budget and letting people live freely instead of the absurd spending and abandonment of civil rights that we've seen these last few cycles.

But mostly I just hope we get back to a functioning government - which will take more than one election to solve. And so I'm going to go to bed and see what tomorrow brings - goodnight!

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!