so get ready

My eyes are glazing over - I spent another five hours today working on tax stuff. Remind me to stop putting this stuff off, since it always results in two or three days of pain when it's time to file returns.

But for all that, my day was pretty good. I took an hour this morning to talk to Lisa, who used to work for me way back in the day - as always, it was good to catch up, and it made me a wee bit nostalgic for corporate life (but not enough to actually go back). I also took a break to talk to Katie, who for some reason is still talking to me even though she should be planning to ghost me immediately so that she doesn't have to host me when I'm in Denver in June/July.

Then I worked until 8:30, which was miserable. But I stopped and enjoyed my first Miami community dinner - people barbecued, and I mostly just helped with cleanup since I didn't bother to make anything. But we had some highly entertaining conversations, and I watched some dueling content marketing/coaching types discuss their strategies, which is both amusing and informative. And I've kicked it into high gear with being snarky - if there's one 'advantage' to the moving around that I've been doing, it's that my sarcastic side comes out more quickly (that's almost certainly not an advantage, but #sarasnotsorry).

And then I came to my room fifteen minutes before midnight and tentatively booked two weeks here in September - highly tentative and mostly influenced by the fact that I have a credit that was going to expire, and I knew that if I booked something now they'd let me move it later anyway. But I'm kinda tempted to spend September doing a two-week roadtrip around the south and then spending two weeks in Miami (with my car, which would make it way easier to get around here). We shall see, we shall see. The other options on the table are 1) a month in Bali, or 2) a month in Eastern Europe (Budapest, Prague, maybe Warsaw, Vienna, and Salzburg), with the kicker being that I have to be back in SFO by September 28. But September is currently free, and I need to plan something that is both interesting and helpful for my writing endeavors...and I probably have too many ideas of what that could be.

But that's a decision for another time - goodnight!

god is a dj

I'm sleepier than I should be, since I slept last night and also took a nap this evening, but I also walked a lot in 95-degree heat, so I'm going to chalk this up to general exhaustion and leave it at that.

But today was good despite my exertions - I woke up and spent the morning working on a variety of tings. Then I took a lyft to Brickell, a neighborhood v. close to me and to downtown, where I ran some errands - I had to mail a letter, and I had a v. necessary stop at Sephora for some dry shampoo, and a less necessary stop at Cole Haan to look at sandals (no luck). Then I walked over a bridge to downtown, where I sat at Starbucks and forced myself to write (successfully) for an hour. Then I picked up some stuff at CVS and some stuff at Whole Foods, and then I walked back to Roam, which was way more walking than I had intended.

However, I didn't spend the evening working as I should have - instead, I went out for a late dinner with some of the other Roam people. There were nine of us, three of whom I'd met in London before, and it was really fun. Of course, it was a going-away party of sorts for a couple of people whom I had only just met, which is how my life has rolled for most of this year, but it was still really entertaining. We went to Crust, which has a surprisingly tasty gluten free pizza - I ate four slices even though I didn't need the last one because it was so damn good.

Several people were going out after, but I am old and also must write tomorrow, so I came back with the group who was feeling similarly old and in need of sleep. Goodnight!

bienvenido a miami

Nothing exciting to note today...it's a holiday for those of you with regularly-scheduled jobs, but I'm desperately in need of some working time. Of course, that didn't actually succeed in getting me out of bed before ten a.m., but eventually I was quite productive. I spent the early afternoon journaling/planning, and then I spent approximately five hours this afternoon/evening working on tax stuff - I'd deferred my taxes since I was out of the country and didn't have all my documents in time to file in April, and now I need to actually deal with it. Of course, since I was a lazy asshole and didn't really deal with receipts for most of last year, this is a traumatic and harrowing (and by that I mean boring, repetitive, and eyestrain-inducing) experience.

But five hours of progress is better than nothing, and was sufficient to reconcile everything that was on my credit card statements for the past twelve months (luckily my memory is still up to par and I can either remember based on the name of the restaurant/store/whatever what I was doing, or my calendar can tell me). I still have at least five hours of work to go, but that was a solid stint.

And then I stopped working around eight, ate some leftovers, and read a book until now - "All We Wanted Is Everything", which is incredibly depressing and not particularly interesting yet, but we'll see how it pans out. And now I want to sleep and finally try to get on the proper timezone - goodnight!

miami the bass and the sunset low

I apparently forgot to blog last night - #sorrynotsorry. I had a great two days in Miami, replete with lots of sun, food, alcohol, books, and friendship time with Terry. Yesterday we spent the whole day by the pool, and I mostly laid around and drank deliciously icy alcoholic beverages while reading THE ROSIE PROJECT (adorable! Sort of like the book version of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, but this guy wants to have friends and not be quite so insufferable, and his path toward falling in love is really cute. I recommend). Terry and I also talked a lot, and we eventually abandoned the pool to have dinner at the hotel (it was *crazy* in South Beach this weekend, so we didn't want to venture anywhere that would require driving). It turns out that the dinner at the hotel was fabulous, so this was not a sacrifice.

Today, I got up earlyish again, and I got to her hotel before traffic got ridiculous, which was great. We met at the pool, where I finished reading my book, and we had two margaritas each just because we weren't ready for vacation to end. Then we had a late lunch at the hotel (on the veranda overlooking the crowds), which included a bottle of rosé, so I was well and truly tipsy by the time Terry needed to leave.

So, she grabbed her bag, and we shared a lyft away from the madness of South Beach. She dropped me off at Roam, and I took a nap and a shower before I called my parents. They were making plans for Texas, but with my current lifestyle, planning anything more than a week away seems like more effort than it's worth. Yes, I've gotten weirdly blasé about some types of planning, although I can still be totally OCD when the mood strikes.

Then I ordered sushi for delivery, and I read another book tonight (which I started at the pool this morning) - CRAZY RICH ASIANS, which I'd heard Joann and Jen talk about before. This is why I ordered sushi, because I really just wanted fried rice or noodles after reading about Singaporean food,and sushi seemed like the next best thing. The book was okay - I didn't love it, but I think that's because the narration dipped in and out of too many characters' heads in a way that didn't make me feel all that connected to any of the characters. The main hero and heroine ended up feeling a little blank, although the characters as a whole were entertaining and I enjoyed the excessive displays of wealth. And I want to keep reading the series, so I guess that's an endorsement.

But now it's almost one a.m., and I need to sleep - I'm treating tomorrow as a work day, which means I need to get up and write. Goodnight!

a little flesh, a little history

Sleepy, stuffed, and definitely ready for bed - today was tons of fun, but I overindulged and need to sleep it off before starting again tomorrow. I woke up this morning after not quite enough sleep and rendezvoused with Terry (remember her?), and we promptly engaged in some debauched day drinking. And by that I mean that I had some sort of vodka-filled berry lemonade with my cajun scramble, which is way stronger than I usually start with in the morning...

Then we change into swimsuits and spent the afternoon on the beach. We'd been told that there was beachside bar service, but this was not true because of some special events happening this weekend, so I held down the fort while Terry went across the street to get a couple of drinks to go for our first round - which felt more like rounds 1-3 (or 2-4, if you count brunch), because they gave her plastic quart containers like you get takeout soup in, each filled to the brim with a mojito (for me) and a margarita (for her). A quart of mojito is approximately 1.3 pints more than I was expecting, so I got somewhat tipsy while we laid in the sun and talked about life...

And then we continued the fun by going to Tequila Chicas and having a frozen margarita and some chips. Then we changed and went to Drybar, where we got blowouts - Terry was shocked that I'd never done one, as was my blowout guy and every other person who worked there. But my blowout guy complimented the texture of my hair, so at least someone in South Beach besides myself got to feel how awesome my hair is....

Yeah, I'm bragging, not sorry. ssssanyway, we took our fancy hair to our dinner reservation at 27 Restaurant, which turned out to be an incredible place. Of course I had to have a cocktail in the twenty minutes we were waiting (a Bayside Britney, which was tasty, and I had to text Irish Matt to show him the menu since, as he responded, the drinks all sounded like the chapters of his autobiography). Then we were seated, and the food was outstanding - we had the best falafel I've ever had, some fish in a curry sauce with 'ancient grains' (some of them need to stay ancient, but they were really delish in this context), and arepas with beef brisket that was to-die-for good. And we (or I) ill-advisedly ordered a brownie and had a few bites, which is probably not helping my sudden headache/stomachache.

Or maybe that's the fact that I drank basically no water and approximately 80oz of cocktails today. I only had one with dinner, which I ordered solely for the name - "One Night in Bangkok", which was essentially bourbon in a thai iced tea, and it was better than it had any right to taste, and I'm sure my face lit up with the expression that I get when I suddenly want to have ten cocktails. It's a good thing Adit wasn't there, is all I'm sayin'.

After dinner, we were stuffed beyond belief, and both of us were tired, so we took a cab most of the way back to her hotel and walked the rest. I went up to her room to get my stuff, and then we walked out to a different street where I could get a lyft without getting stuck in crazy traffic. Then I came back to Roam and promptly talked to Katie for awhile - this is not our usual time to talk, but maybe it should be since the kids had just gone to bed and we were able to talk for quite some time (and I think I held it together despite my alcohol consumption). And then I finished the book I started reading yesterday, and now I must sleep so I can go back to South Beach in the morning before the traffic gets totally insane - goodnight!

welcome to miami where they hustle hey

Nothing interesting to report today - I slept until eleven because I was up until three, and then I laid in bed and read twitter because I apparently hate myself. Then I showered, ate some yogurt and granola and had an iced coffee for 'lunch' (it was two p.m.), and talked to a couple of people I met in the kitchen while they used the sous vide machine to cook some catfish (yeah, I don't know either).

Then, eventually, at like four p.m., I settled down to work...but since this was one p.m. in California, it's almost like I was on schedule. I wrote until six (actual writing! it was good!), then took a break to eat the salad I had the foresight to buy at Whole Foods yesterday while talking to more people in the kitchen. And then I did two loads of laundry and worked in the coworking space from seven until almost eleven, where I finally answered a bunch of emails and tried to get my life a little bit in order.

And then I came upstairs and read in bed for three hours - tonight's endeavor was 'Something Borrowed' by Emily Giffin, who is v. popular with women for some reason. This book really isn't my jam - the heroine is a maid of honor having an affair with the groom in the summer before the wedding. And I guess I don't have an issue with that (friends: don't ask me to be your maid of honor!). j/k. I have moral issues, but it's more that I have a problem with the tone, and also the banality of the main character. Apparently I'd be more okay with them cheating if either of them were particularly compelling creatures.

But now I shall go to bed, and hope that the book ends better than I think it's going to when I finish it, and perhaps dream about why so many people lie to so many people whom they love (yes, we all do, but if it's human nature, why is there also a moral judgment about it?). Clearly SPINSTER HONEYMOON is taking a dark turn - get excited. Goodnight!

dear theodosia

I should have gone to bed a couple of hours ago, but jetlag has struck and also I was too consumed by other things to sleep. I woke up late today (the inevitable consequence of staying up until three a.m., which I'm about to do again), and then I messed around my room for a couple of hours - I always need to unpack whenever I'm someplace for more than a night, so I unpacked and organized everything and generally settled in. Then I showered, and then I realized that I was desperately in need of caffeine and food (in any order)...

So I went downstairs and found the kitchen, where I ran into Dane and Luisa, whom I'd met in London. We reunited and talked for a bit, and I had some iced coffee (without ice - barbaric), and then Dane showed me around the property, which is pretty great. After that, I walked downtown - it was only fifteen minutes, but it was incredibly hot (94 but heat index made it 101), and also involved walking over a drawbridge and under some overpasses, all of which felt super sketch (no dangerous people in sight, but still). I grabbed a late (3pm!) lunch at a Mediterranean version of Chipotle (delish!), and then spent an hour writing at Starbucks, which was great.

Then I went to the Whole Foods next door and bought a few breakfast-type things, and then I took a lyft home to avoid the whole walking situation. When I got here, I put the groceries away and promptly decided to avoid tonight's community dinner - I don't feel a strong need to get involved here, particularly since Terry comes tomorrow and I'm here to get some work done when she's not here.

So, I spent the evening reading 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette?', which I LOVED - it's exactly the right kind of voice/structure for 'Spinster Honeymoon'. I read from 6:30 to ten, and then I took a break to watch a livestream of a Junot Díaz talk that was happening at Stanford tonight - I almost didn't, but I'm so glad I did. He's a fantastic author (don't take my word for it, he won the Pulitzer), and his speech was excellent. This resulted in me having a lot of feelings, so I tweeted a lot about it, which took a lot of time...

But sometime after midnight I was done, and then I succumbed to temptation and decided to finish reading my book rather than going to bed. And now I'm done, and I need to sleep so I can assimilate all the culture/thoughts/lessons/voices I heard today - goodnight!

we'll bleed and fight for you, we'll make it right for you

I've said my farewells to San Francisco and have reached the opposite coast. I woke up this morning, showered, packed, and was almost done packing when the hotel fire alarm went off - so I vacated and went to Another Cafe to get one last coffee and do a bit of journaling before leaving SF. The downside of this was that I totally forgot about the delicious half of a quesadilla that was in my hotel fridge from last night, but I suppose I'll survive despite the sadness of leaving such an important piece of my life behind (friends: I'll miss you too, but you're no chicharrones).

Eventually, I took a lyft to the airport, where I checked in without much incident and had time to grab a salad and an iced coffee before boarding my flight. I've been feeling like I've overindulged the last six weeks or so (basically since I went to York and had to fuel the massive amount of brain work/trauma necessary to finish my book, which I fueled with equally massive amounts of steak, fries, wine, and coffee)...and you know I'm feeling like I need to eat something cleaner when I willingly choose a salad with kale and chickpeas, and then eat the whole thing with some semblance of enjoyment. Weird.

My flight from SFO to Atlanta was uneventful, and I did a bit of work and also watched 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' (also work - it's research for my next book, although I'd seen it before years ago). I had over two hours in Atlanta, so I ate a cheeseburger and garlic fries and had two glasses of wine at Gordon Biersch (the kale salad apparently made me feel like I deserved a 'treat yoself' moment, lol) and did a bit more journaling. Then I took a v. empty flight from Atlanta to Miami and had a whole row to myself, which was delightful and also weirdly annoying since it allowed me to see more of the weirdos spread out in the other rows. People are strange.

When I got to Miami, I collected my bags and took a lyft to Roam. I've seen no one and did not attempt to tour the property, but my room is gorgeous - the bed is comfy, there's a real closet and a chest of drawers (unlike Bali and London), and I have a cute little enclosed patio with a rocking chair, so that's all winning. And now I want to sleep and try to get on this timezone so I can get some work done - goodnight!

the dreammaker's gonna make you mad

I continue to be a glutton for food and friendship, but all of that is going to come to a screeching halt tomorrow (until Friday, when I'm reunited with Terry, so it's not like I'm going off into the wilderness). I woke up this morning later than planned but earlier than desired, and I spent the morning running necessary errands - I grabbed breakfast at MyMy (an old haunt), then schlepped a bunch of stuff to the post office to mail home so I wouldn't have to drag it around for the next three weeks, then took a lyft to Nordstrom to return a sweater I bought last week that appeared to snag itself on contact with air.

By that point, I was running just in time for my first social activity of the day - I had a semi-late lunch with Lauren (aka Subz) at Bun Mee on Fillmore. While there, I described myself as the old-time town crier of our friend group, since I've done a giant circle of people in the bay area over the last two weeks and have reported important news around the circle as I've moved between people. We had a delightful lunch, although it's always too brief, and I felt a few moments of genuine sadness as I walked away from her at the end and remembered that I won't see her again for a couple of months. This is the downside cost of my peripatetic lifestyle....

...but the upside is that I'm going to Miami tomorrow, and if I get Zika it will be repaid via the sheer delight of sun, heat, water, and time to work on my book. After I said goodbye to Lauren, I walked to Japantown, where I was going to buy washi tape but instead bought some little post-it flags shaped like matroshka dolls (don't ask, I'm an artist and it's part of my process). Then I came back to my hotel because I was exhausted and needed an hour.

But I rallied in time to go to Nopalito and meet up with Katrina for dinner and drinks (three margaritas, in my case). I'd spent a lot of time with her cat over the last week, but obviously I hadn't seen her, so we were overdue for a catch-up. And it was all delightful, and I'm impressed with us for rallying when she was so jetlagged and I was so exhausted.

But after three hours of dinner, it really was time for bed, so we parted ways, and I thus said goodbye to my last stop on my tour of the bay area. Tomorrow I shall go to the airport and fly to Miami - I can't guarantee that my blog will be more interesting then, but it will certainly contain new experiences. Goodnight!

the room where it happens

Today was pretty rough - I do not like being hungover,and I should probably take steps to avoid such situations in the future. But the fact that I only had a hangover once in my entire California sojourn must mean that I'm growing up! (or, the people I was hanging out with have all grown up, take your pick)

Part of the problem was that I woke up at nine even though I had no reason to, and has also only had six hours of sleep, so the morning was going to be rough regardless. I walked down the hill to grab a soda, which I thought would help, but then I also got a latte, which definitely didn't help. But I enjoyed some journaling while doing some people-watching - it was Bay to Breakers today, which meant that people were dressed like damned fools, and I got to see some of them as they fanned out from the race looking for bathrooms. In other words, I was glad that I went out in search of sustenance early, before they all turned into drunk zombies.

Then I went back to Katrina's and spent the afternoon getting ready to depart, which meant laundry, packing, taking a long nap, and talking to my parents. I left there a little after six and took a lyft to a hotel - I'm staying in a hotel for my last two nights here, which will hopefully get me in the mood to start writing in earnest this week. When I got here, I dumped my stuff in my room and left immediately to go to Chandlord's - she very generously, very graciously hosted me and Claudia (aka Santy Claude!!! don't tell her I said that) for takeout pizza and a bottle of wine (which she decanted because she's a lady). Many jhokes were told, and I ate five pieces of pizza like a total glutton because I hadn't had good gluten free pizza in five months and was rather desperate.

When that was done, I said my tentative farewells, walked back to the hotel (all of a block and a half) and messed around online until now. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

looking for a mind at work

Adit happened.

I could probably end there, but that would shortchange a lot of important people tonight, so I shall attempt to persevere. I spent the morning/daytime/early afternoon working at Katrina's apartment, and that was good, but I eventually realized that I should vacate and take advantage of the gorgeous weather. So I walked for twenty minutes and ended up in the Castro, where I got an iced coffee at Reveille and did an hour of journaling. I was also reminded of why I don't always love San Francisco, since a fifty- or sixty-something man came in and I'm pretty sure he wasn't wearing pants...he was wearing a tshirt that came to his thighs, but I'm pretty positive I caught a testicle shadow as he was bending to pick something up. Fucking San Francisco.

sssanyway. I eventually went down the block to Beso, where I had first dinner with Jen and Joann. They were in town to catch the Hamilton matinee, which I'd helped procure them tickets for, and so we discussed the show over tapas and wine. Then, they left the city and I went straight to second dinner...at Barzotto with Sheila and Rajiv. They had a v. nice gluten free pasta, and also the company was obviously stellar. Then we went to Hawker Fare, where we met Chandlord for a drink - and when Adit showed up, it became a second drink. Sheila and Rajiv v. gracefully bowed out, but Adit, Chandlord and I continued to ABV, where I had two jackels and a lot of friendship (including Adit's friend Sumeet, whom I hadn't seen in forever).

And then Adit and I walked until it was time to part ways, and I wasn't ready to say goodbye, but I had to call a lyft anyway. And now, after three glasses of wine and four cocktails, I should probably call it - goodnight!

born in arizona, moved to babylonia

I'm falling asleep sitting up in bed, so this is going to be too brief - today was a tour of all the things I loved, starting with a leisurely brunch at Caffe Union, and then a tiny bit of shopping, followed by a mani/pedi at my favorite nail salon. Then I took a lyft back down to the Marina and hung out for a couple of hours with Chris and Leah at Nectar (yay!) before buying some cupcakes and schlepping back to the opposite side of the city to have dinner with Adit and Priyanka.

There are probably more interesting things to say than that, but I'm beyond exhausted - goodnight!

baby i'm so rising

I overindulged in food and friends, but I don't regret any of it. I spent the morning attempting to get some work done - this mostly involved standing at the kitchen counter working on my laptop so that Duncan wouldn't sit in my lap and distract me (Duncan is a cat, not a boyfriend or a vagrant, fyi). I also made perfect avocado toast and iced coffee, which felt v. much like my old San Francisco life, except for the fact that I don't live here anymore and perhaps never will (but never is a word I never like to use).

Eventually I showered and schlepped myself down the hill three blocks to Nopalito, one of my favorite restaurants, where I had a solo lunch with my journal and my thoughts. It was delicious, and I left completely stuffed - I've never gone alone before, and I wanted the special appetizer (a cold tostada with snapper and smashed avocado, which was outstanding), but I also wanted the quesadilla roja con chicharrones and a million other things on the menu. So I settled for ordering the appetizer and the quesadilla (which is made with a delicious combo of queso fresco, pork, and pork rinds - you may find this abominable, but I find it #winning), as well as a margarita, and I ended up eating most of it and being totally, uncomfortably, gluttonously full.

So, of course, I had to add coffee to my stomach to increase the drama. Then I settled up my extravagant lunch bill and went to the Outer Sunset, where I met up with Veronica for more 'writing' ('writing' is in quotes because we talked a lot about writing, and each also did a bunch of admin work, but as far as I know neither of us wrote new words on our intended projects). By 5pm it was time to admit that we were far more interested in each other than in our books, so we finished off the last glass of champagne left from the bottle we opened yesterday, and then the last glasses of red wine from the bottle we'd started at dinner last night. I had a great time, as per usual, and it all flew way too fast, and I'm not ready to say goodbye....

But eventually I said goodbye, took a lyft with a delightful man in his seventies who also composes flamenco music (and said a prayer to all the gods and muses that I don't have to drive a lyft when I'm seventy to subsidize my art, especially since lyft will be dead and we'll all be cyborgs by then anyway), and met up with Claudia (aka Santy Claude) at My Tofu House. Claude had had a tooth pulled today, which is why we went for soft tofu - but it was good to go back there, even if I wasn't hungry at all when the food came out and I ate it anyway like a true champ/loser, take your pick.

So, we caught up over steaming bowls of deliciousness, and then we went to the Mission to meet up with Vidya (aka Chandlord). The stars aligned and Claudia found parking immediately, right across the street from ABV, so it felt like it was meant to be. ABV is one of my favorite bars in the city, and I had my favorite cocktail from their menu (The Jackel, which is misspelled for reasons I don't understand). We sat around and talked for an hour or two, and then Claude went home and Chandlord and I walked to Market St, where we parted ways on different lyfts to different locales.

And now it's definitely time for bed - goodnight!

i can keep a beat with no metronome

Today was lovely, but I need to sleep. I spent far too much time this morning reading social media, which now seems to be spectacularly imploding every thirty minutes or so, but I dragged myself out of bed and through the shower so that I could be out of the house by ten. My first stop was to get a bottle of champagne for the afternoon's activities, and then I dropped my rental car off at the car agency. Then I took a lyft all the way out to the ocean....

...where I was slightly early for a ladies-who-lunch date at the Cliff House with my writer friends. This has become our go-to spot since it's easy for everyone to get to, and it's a great place for lunch if you like looking at the water and being fancy. Lunch included Grace, Veronica, Anne, Barbara, and Poppy, and the six of us were there for three hours and probably annoyed the waitstaff by hanging out for so long, but #yolo.

Sadly, when it was over I had to say goodbye to almost everyone - I'll see Grace in Sedona in a month, and I'll see Barbara and V in Orlando in July, but I might not see Anne until the end of September since she might not be here when I'm back in August :( So after I said all my farewells, Veronica and I went back to her place - she and her husband had invited me over for dinner to recreate our Venice evenings, so I went back with her and we tried to work. And by that I mean we talked about working (we're both at the start of projects - me at the start of a new book, her at the start of massive edits) and looked up all the books/movies I need to read/watch to do research for SPINSTER HONEYMOON.

Then we hung out with Adam while he made dinner (a delish pasta puttanesca that I could have eaten waaaaay more of). Their son ate dinner with us, and then they showed me their Oculus VR setup - I was kind of stunned at how amazing it is. The first game they put me in involved shooting things in space, which I really liked. The second was traumatic - it just involved moving around a space station exploring it, and I was immediately afraid of heights and nauseated by my floating movements, so I had to get out. Then I tried a boxing game (I wasn't so good) and a sword-fighting game (better, but I knocked something over in real life). But I can see the future now, and in fifteen years we'll all be living in Oculus worlds so we can forget that the real world has become a dumpster fire. And people like me who can't move in an Oculus world without throwing up will end up in some sad netherworld caste where we have to take care of the physical bodies of the people living in Oculus....

...but I digress. After that, Adam made dessert (strawberries and homemade whipped cream!), and then V and I watched '27 Dresses' in the name of research. Adam started to watch with us but bailed immediately, and V and I stuck it out, but we *hated* it - there was so much wrong with the story and how the characters were built, and everyone was horribly unlikeable. Ugh. But I learned what not to do, so I guess that's good?

And then I said goodbye, came back to Katrina's with a v. friendly lyft driver, and now I shall sleep - goodnight!

i can lead a nation with a microphone

Today was my first day almost entirely by myself since I was in York finishing my book over a month ago, and it was v. sorely overdue. I've had an excellent time in the last month, and I will continue to have excellent times, but today felt like a reward for my introvert heart for getting through so much social time without flipping out at anyone.

I woke up at Joann's and spent a couple of hours doing nothing but reading twitter (not good for my mental state, but still somehow relaxing). I mostly sat there because I was trying to wait out traffic, which has reached apocalyptic levels in the bay area...but by 10:30 I really had to get on the road. So I stopped at Starbucks for a sad breakfast of string cheese, a granola bar, and an iced coffee, and then I drove to San Mateo, where I worked out, used the steam room, and showered. I also ate lunch there, which made me feel all smug and healthy.

Then I had a doctor's appointment, since I figured I should get a yearly checkup while I was in the state where my health insurance is active. Then I drove back to the evil city, and I talked to [censored] on the way because it's [censored] - happy [censored], [censored]!

Then I checked in on my storage unit - it's all still there, and I was a little verklempt at seeing everything packed away so neatly. I grabbed four dresses and a swimsuit for my upcoming adventures, locked up again, said hi to the storage manager (who totally remembered me - he's great!), and then drove to Katrina's.

Once here, I indulged my inner hermit - I took care of Duncan, and then I walked down the street to Ragazza, where I intended to have gluten free pizza. They were out of dough, thus thwarting my gf pizza desires (I haven't had a good one since December and I'm getting really cranky about it), but I had a bunch of cured meats and cheese and two glasses of wine and some chocolate while writing several pages in my journal, which was exactly what I needed.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

feel good inc

Today was another long day of errands, driving, work, and friendship, and I need to sleep immediately. I woke up at Katrina's and enjoyed the feeling of lazing in bed for a bit without any exuberantly-awake children nearby - luckily her cat is mostly silent, so he didn't try to get me out of bed. But I couldn't stay there as long as I wanted to (which was alllll day) - I dragged myself out of bed, threw on some clothes, organized some tings, and then did a load of laundry.

While the clothes were washing, I went down the street and had a latte and some yogurt - it is nice to be someplace where I can walk down the street for a latte, since that hasn't been true for a month. San Francisco has its upsides. Then I threw the clothes in the dryer, showered and packed up, folded the clothes, and vacated the place - Duncan (the cat) is likely confused about the situation, but hopefully he'll handle it.

Then I drove to Berkeley solely because I forgot my jacket yesterday, which was a real bummer since it added well over an hour to my day just to drive there and pick it up. Then I drove to San Mateo, where I went to Nordstrom and engaged in a bit of retail therapy - this was the first time I've had a car and a truly free day (Milwaukee doesn't count) and access to an American mall in a v. v. long time, and so even though I had less than an hour, I did a speed round of the store and picked up a couple of cute things that entirely ignore the fact that I'm nomadic and about to go to a series of sweltering climes...

Then I had a writing date with Anne, Barbara, and Poppy, which I mostly spent looking at bridesmaid dresses. Then I drove to Mountain View to pick up my new contacts, and then I went to Vive Sol and sat in the parking lot for twenty minutes until it was time for dinner. Joann, Jen and I had much to discuss - I'd seen Jen more recently, since she was in London while I was there, but I hadn't seen Joann since December and we had lots to say. When we were done lingering over dinner (the staff was even more done with us, since they'd rather aggressively cleared everything an hour earlier), I drove to Joann's, and she and I continued to talk/gossip until it was time to start winding down.

And now I'm going to sleep - goodnight!

step from the road to the sea to the sky

Too tired to blog effectively - I woke up early again, had a delightful breakfast with John and Jess and Ian, and then Jess and I celebrated mother's day by leaving Ian with John so that we could go to Equinox. She did a yoga class, and I did some cardio and a kettlebell workout that made me v. happy (before showering and getting a smoothie that made me even happier).

Then I dropped her off at home, said goodbye to everyone, and drove to the evil city. I spent the afternoon working at Another Cafe (one of my old haunts) with Tom (aka Tom Foolery), which was great. I also called my parents, both because it was mother's day (happy mother's day!) and because I always call them on Sunday.

Then I drove to Katrina's house and unloaded my stuff and said hi to Duncan. And then Chandlord picked me up and I went to the Sunset for family dinner - we met up at Enjoy Vegetarian, which is one of our other old haunts. It was quite the turnout for family dinner, including people who don't even live here - Chandlord and I were early, so we held down the fort and ordered some tings, and then we were slowly joined by Omar (in from Toronto), Misha, Marina (visiting from Boulder), Raja, Claudia, and Adit and Priyanka. They brought Vihaan with them, who was extremely sad and confused to be there, but it was generally great to see everyone.

Sadly, we didn't have enough time together - the restaurant closed at nine and they were v. v. eager for us to leave. Adit and Priyanka took Vihaan home, and Chandlord and Raja bailed as well, but the rest of us grabbed a bit of ice cream and then had a drink and discussed driving cross-country with bees, refugees and border crossings, and other things that didn't require such a high level of detail. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

i can't feel the way i did before

I just stayed up an hour and a half past when John went to bed, and 2.5hrs after Jess went to bed, which means I will probably be awoken by Ian (the big king of saliva) in approximately six hours. But I had another great day in California. I woke up this morning to the happy sound of a child playing (that is the nicest thing I can say), and stubbornly stayed in bed for another ninety minutes despite that. Then I got up so we could go for an early breakfast at Saul's, my favorite breakfast place ever (that may be a slight exaggeration) - but the corned beef hash there is definitely the best I've ever had, and I was v. pleased to have it again.

After Saul's, we came back and I took a shower before Jess and I went next door to meet their neighbors. Jess hooked me up with them because they're looking for a dog/house sitter for a few days in August, and I'm v. pleased that this is all working out - their dog is super sweet, and the house is beautiful, and I saw their patio and immediately fell in love with the idea of writing in the sun there for a week.

Then, I talked to Jess for a bit more before parting ways and driving into SF. This took almost an hour and a half, which was sheer torture, especially since it's only sixteen miles. I made a quick stop at Katrina's to check on her cat, and then I went to Julie's house to have a late brunch with her, Tom, and Deano. It was really great to see them all, and it didn't feel like enough time...but it never feels like enough time. We discussed books and tech and weddings, and a v. fun time was had by all.

Then I suffered through another torturous hour+ drive back to Berkeley. When I got here, we went to a barbecue that Jess's company had bought tickets to, stuffed our faces, and immediately drove home (with a stop to pick up ice cream). Then we hung out in the kitchen the rest of the night, where John and I drank boulevardiers with ice spheres and talked about life until the wee hours (10:30pm counts as a wee hour when there is a baby involved).

And now I must sleep - goodnight!

favorite fighting frenchman

I'm in the dirty dirty east bay after a day of fun and friendship and just slightly too much wine (but nowhere near the wine experienced the last time I was in the east bay). I awoke this morning in Belmont, after a perfect night's sleep in Shedletsky's guest room - perhaps the advantage of my nomadic lifestyle is that I have, so far (knock on wood), slept perfectly in every new bed I've found myself in over the last week, which is kind of unheard of. I took a shower, packed up my stuff, said goodbye to Shedletsky (whom I hope to see again very soon), and eventually showed myself out so that I could drive to my next adventure...

...which was a quick stop at Starbucks, followed by a long, idyllic drive to Santa Cruz. I had lunch plans with a writer friend named Jules, whom I don't mention much because she lives in Santa Cruz, which is pretty much like living in Nevada in terms of my desire to drive there on a normal day. But we were long overdue for a catch-up, so we had lunch and talked shop and I learned some interesting tings, which all made it worth going.

But at 1:30 my meter was dead and I needed to get on the road if I had any hope of beating traffic (a forlorn hope for sure). The drive from Santa Cruz to Berkeley took over two hours, most of which is not very scenic at all (unless you like your scenery full of warehouses and freeway walls and depression). But I got here just before four, stopped at a wine store to buy something for John and Jess, and was on the verge of picking something when their power went out. Luckily I had $41 in my purse, and the guy happily took $38 of it for two bottles of Italian wine (which may or may not be good, since I loved Italian wine in Venice but was also thrilled to be in Venice and would have loved anything if someone told me it was red wine).

Then I met up with John for coffee near his office, and we discussed labor unions in a Berkeley backroom like the counterculture people we most definitely aren't. Then we went back to his house, where was rendezvoused with Ian (the big king of saliva, as his nickname is in Chinese, although it doesn't translate all that well into English). John made cocktails featuring his experiment with clear ice, which was quite impressive, and we mostly chilled and broke things until Jess got home from work. Then we enjoyed a v. v. lovely evening of fun and friendship, with tamales and wine to feed our bodies and laughter to feed our souls. This feels like the right time to use #blessed, so I'll throw it in.

And now I must sleep - goodnight!

who lives who dies who tells your story

My tour of west coast friendship continues...I'm not going to be able to see everyone I want to see while I'm here, but I'm certainly making an effort. I woke up this morning in the city of sin, surprised to find that Fin had slept later than I had, which made for a quiet morning for everyone involved. Subz took him to daycare after he woke up, and then she and I enjoyed a lovely bit of conversation about future goals before it was time for both of us to take care of more immediate concerns. She left to take care of errands, and I showered, packed, and got a ride to a Hertz location, where I rented a car for the next phase of my endeavors.

I took care of some tings in the city, and then I drove south, with a stop at Specialty's to have a cobb salad (delish) before meeting up with Anne and Barbara for a writing date in Belmont. I eked out 600 words on my new book (it's always pulling teeth at this point), and also did some ad stuff, and also gossipped. Barbara left around five, but Anne and I stayed until 5:45, and it was all good. Then I went to Safeway, and then I went to Shedletsky and Tina's - I'm staying here tonight, after a v. delicious and entertaining dinner. I brought the wine, and he supplied a perfect filet mignon with potatoes and broccoli, and it was all pretty awesome.

And now, I should sleep - we realized that I was pretty much a total hobo, since I showed up with wine and some bandages to dress one of my open wounds (it's not really open - I thought I had a weird blister on my middle left toe, which has hurt pretty badly all day, but now I suspect it might be a spider bite or something since it's swollen in multiple places). So, I should go to bed before they find out about my heroin habit. Goodnight!

and there's a million things i haven't done

I had a perfect day in the city of sin...but it's a little bizarre to be back, since it somehow feels incredibly familiar and not at all like home at the same time. I woke up to the dulcet tones of Finley screaming with delight over waking up / getting dressed / having breakfast, which is par for the course with toddlers, so it was actually kind of delightful. Then I had some coffee, ate a snack, threw on some clothes, and went for a long walk through the Presidio with Lauren and her dogs. It was all cool and misty and gorgeous, and I went up and down a lot of hills and steps that reminded me that my vast walking across London's mostly-flat surfaces probably wasn't actually enough to keep me in shape. We talked throughout, and it was as perfect as a morning could be.

Then we had brunch at Ella's before coming home and parting ways - I took a shower and went to the Mission, where I wrote for an hour at Ritual before getting my hair cut. I hadn't had my hair cut since January, other than my own self-trims to maintain my bangs, so I was overdue, but I think my hairdresser was pleased that I didn't cheat on her during my long absence. Then I came back to Lauren's worked for another hour or so, and then spent the rest of the night hanging out. We put Fin to bed and then ate Indian takeout and drank a bottle of wine that Nathan retrieved from his wine cellar (aka the garage), and discussed tech and politics and national issues, and it was the kind of conversation that I was craving since I didn't have much of it while I was in Bali/London.

But now, it's time to sleep - my nomadism kicks in again tomorrow, so I should sleep while I can. Goodnight!

the world turned upside down

I saw Hamilton tonight and OMG IT WAS SO GOOD. SO GOOD.

And that's the only update you're getting because I'm tired and typing this on my phone, and also I cried for approximately the last hour of the musical and was on the verge of ugly crying and so my eyes are all scratchy and don't want to stare at a screen. I'll give you more of an update tomorrow - but briefly, I hung out with Heather and Salim this morning, talked to [censored], worked, left Heather's, came to Lauren's (aka Subz), spent the afternoon with her, had a decadent dinner at Rich Table, and then saw the show, which made for a pretty perfect day. Yes, I'm bragging. Goodnight!

i can see all obstacles in my way

I had a great day in the glorious south bay, even though I walked down Castro Street in Mountain View and idly thought that I would be okay never walking down that street again. Not that I intend to never go back again, but the thought did cross my mind.

But before I went to Mountain View, I spent the morning lazing about in bed and taking advantage of the fact that Heather's guest bed is comfy and I've spent enough nights here before in the past that my body didn't do the usual thing where it freaks out on the first night in a new place and doesn't let me sleep. Then I hung out downstairs briefly before spending an hour on the phone with a writer friend (Darcy) to catch up on industry gossip. And then I ate a late breakfast, since Salim made me scrambled eggs and coffee and a whole heap of berries, which was all delightful.

Then, Heather went into work and dropped me off in Mountain View on the way. I spent a couple of hours at the cafe at Books Inc, where I successfully wrote a thousand words (as good as I ever get when I'm starting a project). Then I went to my eye doctor, who proclaimed my eyes to be as good (bad, but good) as ever, so my prescription didn't change, which was a relief. He also dilated my eyes to the point that I could barely see anything up close the rest of the afternoon - so to those of you who texted me this afternoon, apologies for being too much of a crackhead to respond.

When that was over, I got a pearl milk tea (I could see distance to cross streets, but ordering a lyft after was super difficult) and went to Heather's office, where I sat outside and wrote for another few minutes until she was ready to go. We came back to her house, dropped off our stuff, and then went to Willow Glen for dinner at someplace called The Table, which we went to on a whim because our original destination was closed. It turned out to be quite tasty - their initial wine offerings for us tasted like they'd been open for several days, but when we realized that ordering by the glass might be a bad idea, we instead got a half bottle of pinot noir, which tasted perfect and was the right amount for us to split. I also had a v. delicious pork chop, and Heather had fried chicken, and we shared a pot du creme after, and it was all a delightful complement to our deep, hours-long conversation.

Then we came home and I lured Heather into the dark side of bullet journals - someone should pay me, since I've converted multiple people to the cult. I also watched some Family Guy with Salim, which made me think of [censored], who was undoubtedly asleep. And now I must sleep as well - I have to schlepp my way to the city of sin tomorrow for some entirely decadent plans, so I need my beauty rest. Goodnight!

i'm trying to tell you now it's sabotage

I'm inching closer and closer to San Francisco. I woke up this morning in LA, strangely not at all hungover (for perhaps the first time ever after hanging out with Irish Matt - I must be growing up!), and hurriedly showered, packed, and drove to Long Beach airport. I dropped off the rental car, checked in, and discovered that Long Beach is tiny - only ten gates inside a single terminal that was clearly constructed in the days before TSA and can't really accommodate the requirements of modern lines. But it was an easy breezy process, which I v. much appreciated.

The flight was uneventful and I read the entire way. When I arrived, it couldn't have possibly gone more smoothly - I made my way to baggage claim, texted Heather with my door info as I was grabbing my last bag off the belt, walked outdoors - and didn't even have to break stride because she pulled up as I was walking out the door. This felt like a v. baller move, even if I was wearing a hoodie and schlepping more stuff than I assume ballers do....

sssanyway. I'm staying with Heather (aka dear respected madam) and Salim tonight and tomorrow night, and we had much to catch up on. So we talked all afternoon, which I loved, until I took a break to call my parents (as usual). Then we spent the rest of the day/evening mostly eating, joking, and watching movies - Salim made steak and corn on the cob, and we watched 'Major League' (ridiculous 80s baseball movie), part of 'Zoolander' (if you don't know what that movie is, please show yourself to the exit), and all of 'Neighbors 2' (which was surprisingly hysterical despite my v. low expectations for it).

And now it's bedtime, since I have much to do tomorrow - goodnight!

one way ticket

I had a fabulous day in LA, which involved lazing in bed (v. necessarily) until after nine, and then spending the entire day with Irish Matt (remember him?). I just got back to my airbnb after 12+ hours of friendship, and it was highly delightful (and I'm relatively sober compared to how I would have been on previous days where we'd spent twelve hours together) - but I'll regale you with details tomorrow, since I need to sleep immediately if I'm going to make my flight tomorrow morning. Goodnight!

i'd be safe and warm if i was in l.a.

I was very sad for my retreat to end today, but I caught up with some old friends, so the rush of new experiences overcame the sadness of leaving San Clemente. It didn't help that I barely slept last night - I was all good from eleven p.m. to two a.m., but I woke up at two and was as wide awake as if it were eight, and I tossed and turned the rest of the night. I realize this is normal for a lot of people, but I consider myself to be a champion sleeper, and so those rare nights when I can't sleep make me feel angry and oddly defeated.

sssanyway. I got out of bed around 7:45 and spent a v. happy hour (which feels so long ago now) sitting on the deck looking out through the mist to the ocean beyond, drinking coffee and answering emails and planning activities for my upcoming sojourn to the bay area. But I had to stop enjoying myself so that I could shower and pack and vacate the premises. We all said goodbye to Christie, who was driving back to San Diego, and then Barbara and Anne and I finished getting ready and took a lyft to the airport. We parted ways there - they were on the same flight back to SF, while I was only at the airport long enough to pick up a rental car.

I then drove to Culver City, which took a little over an hour - since I haven't driven much in the last four months, and most of that driving happened in Iowa, this was a bit like going from a tricycle to an Evel Knievel-style motorcycle stunt. Luckily, I navigated the freeways and lights and accidents and sudden stops without any issues (despite being exhausted and hyped up on Mountain Dew), and I made it to my destination...

...which was a bookstore that specializes solely in romance novels. I would mention its name but I don't want to show up in any of their social media scans - but the store was totally wonderful, and it was great to see them put such an emphasis on romance novels that are mostly ignored everywhere else. I was mostly there to meet up with my friend Jenn, who hangs out there a lot, but I was glad to see the store.

However, I didn't browse much initially - we were both starving, so we walked down the street and had lunch and caught up on work/life. She also writes historical romance and also is the photographer for most of my covers, so we had a lot to discuss. Then we went back to the store, and I managed to only buy three books and a necklace (a real sacrifice on my part, made solely because I don't have room for any more stuff). Then I said farewell to Jenn and drove my airbnb (50mins to go less than ten miles, which is a v. California situation).

I was only here an hour, but I used half of it to take a nap, which miraculously restored me before my dinner plans. Mahin picked me up at 6:30, and we went to Urth Caffé, which had a delightful outdoor patio with even more delightful heat lamps. Mahin and I used to work together forever ago, and she and I would occasional have lunches to secretly talk about romance novels, which always felt fun and vaguely forbidden. I hadn't seen her in forever, but we'd exchanged emails a couple of months ago, and since she's living in LA now we took the opportunity to get together again. She's also a writer now, so we talked a lot of shop, which is fun and fascinating for us and of absolutely no interest to any of you.

So, three hours flew by way too fast, and my heart wasn't ready for the night to end, but my stamina was on the verge, so Mahin dropped me off at my airbnb - and hopefully it won't be another five years before we see each other again. And now I'm desperate for as much sleep as I can squeeze in in yet another unfamiliar bed before tomorrow's fun plans destroy my immune system and my liver - goodnight!

games continued

It's my last night at my writing retreat, and I am definitely, 100% not ready to go. This house has been perfect - it's right on the ocean, which means we've spent every night by the firepit, snacking around the flames because it was too wonderfully decadent at home to bother going out for dinner.  Our days have fallen into an easy rhythm of working or walking in the morning, going out for lunch (today we went to South of Nick's, which was totally perfect Mexican with portions so big that I brought half back for dinner), and then writing all afternoon and talking/gossipping all evening.

So, I'm feeling in the story groove here, and I'm also enjoying the endlessly crashing waves of the Pacific - but it's time to go off to my next adventure. Today was all good - I got more sleep than I have been, since I forced myself to stay in bed until 9:30, and then we had the aforementioned lunch. In the afternoon, I did a bit of writing, and I also recorded a podcast with Rachael, and I also talked to Terry. And then we spent the evening in delightfully desultory conversation - catching up with other writers is good for the soul.

But now it's time to sleep - goodnight!

all i really know is i don't wanna know

Too tired to blog - I'm verklempt because Buckingham Place is likely to announce something big at midnight CA time, and I'm too sleepy to stay up for it. I blame the NyQuil for that - I feel worse than I did yesterday, since my congestion is ramping up and it gradually outshining my sore throat, and so I'm taking more drugs than I probably should.

But I'm still having a v. productive time - I got up at seven and actually wrote this morning, which was a novel feeling (ha). We lost power to the house at 11:15ish, but as we were on our way out to door to grab lunch, this didn't affect us at all. We found a cute place on Dana Point's harbor, and my huevos were yummy (but not as good as Nitks). Then we came back here and worked afternoon. Then I ate supper and watched the sunset with the girls - it was pretty perfect, all in.

But now I'm desperate to sleep, so goodnight!

but you don't really care for music, do you?

Despite my encroaching illness, I had a v. good writing day. I woke up this morning with my sore throat raging and nothing else particularly wrong with me, and I sat out on the deck with my journal and the mist for a couple of hours - mist is probably not good for sore throats, but it's great for daydreams.

Then I talked to my friends for awhile and continued to brainstorm Barbara's book from last night before they ordered me to shower so we could grab lunch. We walked down to a nearby cafe, where I got a gluten-free quiche and some extra egg salad for tomorrow - but the walk back up to the house nearly killed me. I was supposed to record a podcast with a fellow author this afternoon, but I decided that my sore throat and congested-sounding voice and general exhaustion made me unable to do this, so I begged her to reschedule for Thursday, which she accommodated.

So I spent the afternoon alternating between writing, doing admin/social media work, and trying to burn the illness out of my body by sitting in the sun while eating vitamin C gummies. I'm working on SPINSTER HONEYMOON, and so I spent my writing time this afternoon brainstorming characters and plot points. However, I had a much more helpful and productive session brainstorming it with the group over takeout pizza for dinner - I usually don't brainstorm my own stuff in groups all that much, but this turned out super helpful for this project (and I actually came up with two totally different ideas beyond my original idea for this book, and all three of them could probably be viable books, so it's kind of an embarrassment of riches at this point).

So, I'm full of dreams and eager to dig into the story, but I couldn't abandon the group to their conversation and do my own writing without feeling rude. So I hung out with them until 9:30ish, at which point we were all feeling like retiring. I spent the last three hours doing some reading (I'd told a friend I would do a quick beta read of her book, so I wanted to finish that), and now I'm going to sleep and hope that I feel better tomorrow so that my head is clear enough to write - goodnight!

this house don't feel like home

After almost four months of travel, my body has finally succumbed to the travel illnesses I thought I'd managed to outrun. To be fair, I also got sick when I landed in Bali - but this is v. unfortunately timed, since I'm at a writing retreat with grand plans to get a lot done before going to SF next week. I'm not ridiculously sick yet, but my sore throat is really bad, and I've been fighting it with many forms of vitamin c all day. It didn't help that I didn't sleep much last night - I woke up at four a.m. because I didn't feel great, then woke up for good at six because the sun was too bright and my body thought it was 8am anyway.

But despite the illness, today was good - I spent the morning (after finally dragging myself out of bed) journaling, then talking to Barbara for awhile, then talking to Barbara and Anne. Eventually it was time to shower, and then the four of us went out for lunch at a Mexican place in the downtown area - I thought it was delicious since I haven't had California Mexican in forever, but they said it wasn't as good as the place they went yesterday.

Then we ran to a grocery store, where I mostly stocked up on meds, and then we came back and I attempted to work. I did get some good stuff done (mostly promo - I had a major ad running today that I wanted to supplement with some social media stuff, which I did), but then I talked to Anne, and then I took a nap because I really wasn't feeling well at all. Then I talked to [censored]. Then I got approximately fifteen minutes of writing done before Barbara wanted to brainstorm her next series and we spent a lot of time on that.

But all in all, San Clemente is gorgeous - our house is on a cliff overlooking the beach (where there was a shark attack this weekend, so watching the surfers has the added fun of wondering if you're going to watch a gruesome death), and it's really well suited for a writing retreat since it's basically two two-bedroom condos combined into one for the week, which means two kitchens, two living rooms, and two patios - which means it's easy to get away from people if necessary (and in my book it's v. necessary). Since I was the last to arrive, I got the worst room, which I expected - it's twin bunk beds, which is not my favorite thing (mostly because I can't sit up in bed and work there), but it's still totally fine and I'm #blessed, etc. And I'm mostly here for the company and the writing time anyway, and that's all great.

But now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

I'm a little unsteady

No energy left for blogging...I got five hours of sleep last night and had to wake up and be on again when all I wanted to do was stay in bed. Luckily most of the people who chose to sit at my breakfast table were people I was drinking with last night, so they had no expectations and I was sort of able to meet that low bar.

Then I spent a couple of hours working in the Milwaukee airport, then slept on my first (very brief) flight to Minneapolis, then worked for almost all of the flight to Orange County (with s break at the end to watch Brooklyn 99). I landed forty minutes early, grabbed a lyft, and came to San Clemente, where Barbara, Anne and Christie had already arrived over the last couple of days. We spent several hours catching up... But now I'm at my energy limit and must sleep immediately. Goodnight!