dreaming about being a big star

Time for bed - but today involved a lot more fun than previous days, so that's pretty #winning. I woke up this morning, showered and packed, and grabbed coffee at Philz before enduring the drive from MTV to SF. When I got here, I had meetings straight from 9:30 to 4:30 - but then I successfully escaped, drove to the Kabuki, dropped off my car and checked into my room, and got ready to party.

The first party was at Smugglers' Cove with Alice and Aga. Actually, the first first party was the four minutes I spent waiting for an elevator, during which I heard every excruciating detail of a screaming match between what sounded like a mother, a father, and their teenage/college age kid, who was upset that they were making him wear dress pants instead of jeans because the only dress pants he had with him were either too big ('a garbage sack') or too small ('they're crushing my nutsack'). Hearing a mother scream at her son about his nutsack and him getting over it is really not a good way to start an evening, I've got to say.

sssanyway. Once I escaped, I went to Smugglers' Cove, where I had a couple of tiki type cocktails with Alice and Aga. It's the end of an era since Aga is moving on and I got reorged anyway, so we hung out and it was generally delightful (especially when Alice taught me how to pronounce 'Prince of France'). Then I met up with Lauren (aka Subz) at Monsieur Benjamin - it was one of those ridiculous SF dinners where everything was tasty but understated and somehow still cost $150 despite feeling relatively casual, and this is why I live in Colorado now. But Lauren was, as always, wonderful, and I'm so glad I got to see her for a couple of hours in the midst of the madness that is my current life.

But now I need to sleep so I can further other mad plans tomorrow - goodnight!

some are still out seeking glory

No blog tonight because I worked until midnight - goodnight!

tasted the sweet perfume of the mountain grass

I'm still living the dream - lucky me. Today was a v. long day of trainings (especially long because I did this exact training four months ago and they decided to repeat it, which was a little tiresome). But I survived, did a bit of work after, and then had dinner with Joann and Jen (of friendship renewal and spinster honeymoon fame). I hadn't seen them in ages, so that was a lovely way to take a break.

Then I came back to my corporate apartment and worked for the last couple of hours, which felt supremely unfortunate - but I survived, and now it's time to sleep. Goodnight!

castle on the hill

Day one of the manager offsite started great (I had coffee, sent some emails I really needed to send, and also ate some chicken jook, which was super tasty)....and then it devolved a bit, since I wasn't quite in the mood for the content we discussed. But I rallied in time to talk to my new team about new team things, and then I went to happy hour/dinner, where I continued to rally and had a v. good time. We shut down the bar (at 7:30) and took the leftover wine into the cafe, where we played a couple of ridiculous party games, and then we all eventually adjourned to our places of slumber....

...but Nicole and I rendezvoused, walked across the street to a wine bar, and bought an overpriced bottle of pinot gris to bring back to my apartment. We proceeded to drink most of it in the living room while talking about a variety of non-work topics (until my apartment-mate got back, at which point we transitioned to safe work topics instead of unsafe life topics). But now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

got another mouth to feed

I made it to mountain view, but it took some doing - this morning was a mad scramble to get out the door, and then my flight was delayed for an hour. But that gave me time to work at the airport, and then I worked on the plane, which was all fairly necessary.

When I arrived in California, I grabbed my rental car and went straight to a work happy hour, which turned into a work dinner, which suddenly turned into me hitting a people wall. But I escaped unscathed, and now I'm going to go to sleep and hope that my offsite goes well (or at least was worth the trip) - goodnight!

got me working side to side

Today was mostly about paying the wages of my sins - usually I use that as a reference for being hungover, but in this case the sin was procrastination / putting work life ahead of personal life, which means I'm behind on a million things that I should do (since I care about many of them more than I care about zee day job, despite all the love I have for zee day job). Also, it was stupid to stay up until 2am reading last night - I woke up this morning v. v. surly to be awake, and at this point I'm really dragging.

However, I knocked out some good stuff today - I finally reconciled all the expenses from my castle retreat so I can coordinate repayment for all the stuff we all kicked in for each other; I planned my schedule for RWA and confirmed a few lunch/dinner dates/times; and I figured out the puzzle that is Claudia's bachelorette, trying to organize a series of fun things that will hopefully stay fun throughout the day without turning into a relentless fun slog or massive drunken shitshow. We shall see, we shall see.

Through it all, I also did laundry, took care of some smaller tasks, ate some yogurt/granola and some chips/salsa (yes, my meals are v. balanced), and eventually threw in the towel so I could call my parents. After I talked to them, I decided to leave the towel thrown in, and I went to Pizzeria Locale. It was clear that I haven't really talked to anyone beyond my parents and the salon people, since I felt almost incapable of communicating like a normal human - but I somehow scored a seat at the bar and ate some pizza while writing in my journal. I have a sneaking suspicion they gave me a gluten crust instead of a gluten free one, but I guess we'll find out. And regardless, the journaling was a good way to unwind...

Then I came home, put stuff away, folded laundry, etc., etc. And now I should really stay up and pack and take care of tings, but I'm going to go to bed with the intent of getting up to pack tomorrow morning before I leave for the airport - let's see how that works out for me. Goodnight!

you could be the one that I adore

I mostly spent today engaged in the beautification rituals that feel a bit like putting on armor and going to war...a gel manicure in the morning, and a trip into Denver in the afternoon to get a long overdue haircut and an eyebrow wax. Yes, comparing this to war is very hyperbolic. But I'm going to San Francisco on Monday for an offsite at which much (or, equally likely, nothing) will be decided, and I feel better walking into those rooms when my hair is sleek and my nails are perfect.

Beyond that, it was the quiet day I craved - I also ran some errands, did some laundry and other stuff around the house, etc. But I mostly spent the afternoon/evening/until two a.m. reading - I finished SIX OF CROWS and immediately read 75% of the sequel. I would have kept going, but I must sleep and get a lot done tomorrow (today)... So it's time for bed. Goodnight!

payback is a bad bitch

Another day, another drama. Actually, today was light on drama, but it was heavier on meetings than I had planned, and so I got very little done. But I skipped out a little before five and had happy hour with Nicole, so I ended my day with cold wine and hot gossip, which is pretty much my favorite.

Then I shopped a bit before coming home, eating some leftovers, messing around online, and then reading for the last four hours (which was about three hours longer than intended). I picked up SIX OF CROWS, which either Anne or Veronica recommended to me, and so far I like it - it feels a bit derivative of some weird cross between OCEANS ELEVEN and MISTBORN, but since I like both those stories, I'm intrigued by this one.

But now I must sleep - goodnight!

I could fight a war for peace

Too tired to blog... Another long day at work (okay, only eight hours, but it was mentally exhausting), and then I had a long, leisurely dinner at River and Woods with Alice, Chris, and Kristen. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

lift me up like helium

Whelp, some stuff that I've been anticipating for awhile at work finally happened, and while I was expecting it, I still wasn't quite prepared for the chaos that was unleashed by it. It didn't help that I had to give a presentation to my VP and another VP this morning about something entirely unrelated. It also didn't help that I've been living with the slow-burning knowledge of this impending change for a long time - and then, all of the sudden, it happened, and it was a relief that it had happened and also an annoyance all at the same time.

But it's all good in the long run - just a lot to deal with in the short term. So after having meetings straight from 9:30 to 6:30, I ran a couple of quick errands (mostly to Sephora, where I bought lipstick because that solves all problems), grabbed a pizza, and came home, where I worked a bit more before finally throwing in the towel. At some point it's better to put down the laptop, live to fight another day, and drink a glass of wine while reading a book. I finished DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE - I don't know whether I liked it or not, tbh. The narrative arc, though, was super interesting, and the characters were interesting enough that I want to keep going with the series, so we'll see.

But now I need to go to bed so I can go into work tomorrow and deal with the aftermath of today's excitement - goodnight!

we were staying in paris

I had a v v long day, but I survived it, and I might actually make it into bed before midnight (doubtful, but close). I had to get up early this morning, and I made it to the office in time to grab breakfast before an endless slog of meetings (and a lot of jokes and jhokes).

However, it was taco Tuesday, which always makes me happy. I also had happy hour with the team - Chris and Alice are visiting from SF, and we'll all take any opportunity to go out. We all went to Barrel, which is in the mall, but is pretty great for a mall bar - even if the outdoor seating felt dangerous given all the random rain/hail we've been having.

After that, Alice and Chris and I had dinner at Motomaki, and then we ended up grabbing another drink at their hotel. At 9:30pm it was time for me to turn into a pumpkin, and by pumpkin I mean laptop drudge; I came home, washed a couple of dishes and prepped my coffeemaker for the morning, and then worked for the last two hours, ugh.

But tomorrow is another day and there will be caffeine to greet me when it starts, so I should really sleep now. Goodnight!

if we go down then we go down together

I awoke this morning in Glenwood Springs, not at all excited to go back to work. But the man (and the paycheck) was calling, so I got ready, had breakfast and coffee, and then Heather (aka dear respected madam) and I checked out of the hotel and drove back to Boulder. It was about three hours exactly, which wasn't bad, but left me in no mood to work....

But luckily, work wasn't really intended for today anyway. I had a few meetings which took most of the afternoon and left no time for productivity. Then I should have done stuff tonight, but I wasn't feeling it, so I grabbed takeout Greek food (in a break between hailstorms), opened a bottle of wine, and totally procrastinated. Exciting, I know.

But now I'm going to sign off and either read or go to bed - goodnight!

the petrified forest

I'm still in Glenwood Springs, but the weekend is drawing to a close and I just had to do a couple of hours of work, so I guess it's back to the grind tomorrow. But today was great - I got up and had breakfast downstairs, and then Heather (aka dear respected madam) and I went to Iron Mountain to play in their hot springs. Katie had recommended it, and she was totally right that I would enjoy it - a dozen or more small hot pools scattered over a delightfully landscaped area with a direct view of the Colorado River. The pools were between 99 and 107 degrees, with lots of natural minerals, and I felt like I was in the Old West attempting to recover from consumption.

So we sat around for a few hours, alternating between sitting in pools and lounging on chairs. I could have stayed all day, but unfortunately it started raining around the time we were ready to eat lunch. So we huddled under a canopy and ate along with everyone else who was trying to escape the downpour, and then we ended up coming back to the hotel.

When we got here, I showered, then spent some quality time talking to my parents (Happy Father's Day, Dad!), then generally hung out while Heather got a pedicure. Then we walked down the street and had dinner at The Pullman - I had a v. v. delicious Colorado bass with rice and mushrooms and tons of garlice, and a mediocre glass of wine, but the fish was good enough to make up for it. Then we came back to the hotel, hung out in the lobby for awhile, and then came upstairs, where we watched TV and I worked.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

rain keeps falling

Today was pretty perfect. I slept later than planned, then spent some time messing around the house while talking to Heather (aka dear respected madam), and eating scrambled eggs, and packing for our weekend away. Then we drove up into the mountains, which are entirely gorgeous.

Our first stop was Beaver Creek, where we had lunch - this was mostly an inside joke, since Salim (her husband) always liked to claim that I was from Beaver Creek in some derogatory joke toward my rural upbringing. Of course, Beaver Creek, Colorado, is more like Squaw Valley - an upscale ski resort that is not rural at all. But we had a delightful lunch there, and wandered around the resort a bit, and it was a great break.

Then we drove to Glenwood Springs, and I was astonished by how quickly the landscape changed after Beaver Creek - we went from the Rockies to an alien land full of deep canyons, red rocks, and scrub vegetation, carved out of the earth by the Colorado River, which is rather effective at creating dramatic scenery. When we got here, we checked into the hotel (delightful), then walked around a little, then had a drink (or perhaps many drinks) at a nearby restaurant. We then went to the hot springs, but we only lasted 30min before it started raining pretty hard, and the cold rain on our faces wasn't quite as pleasant as the hot springs.

So now we're hanging out at the hotel, and it's pretty magical, but it's time for bed - goodnight!

i know it's pathetic, fuck it, yeah, i said it

I've had a long couple of days at work (hence the lack of blogging last night) - not so much the amount of time I spent working, but the amount of energy I expended while doing so. Yesterday was fine, but it was a lot of meetings, and I also had to walk twenty minutes in ninety degree heat to pick up my car from the dealership (I was overdue for service, and I decided I'd rather walk than take a lyft, but that was perhaps not wise due to the temps). But I got a pedicure, did a whole bunch of nothing around the house, and read a bit before bed (and also worked, but c'est la vie). So it could have been worse, I guess.

Today was somewhat slothful - not really, but I didn't get as much done as I wanted to. However, I did a bunch of meetings and also crossed some tings off my to-do list, and watched a bit of the Spain/Portugal World Cup game (someone 100% brought a large tv to the office and hooked it up on a desk, so we were watching soccer from our cubes v. comfortably). I left around 4:30, came home, dashed around like a madwoman taking care of stuff around the house, and then went to the airport to pick up Heather (aka dear respected madam), who is visiting for the weekend (yay!!).

We drove back into Boulder and went to River and Woods, of course, since I adore it (and they know I adore it, since my wine was comped). We sat on the back patio and I had my beloved poutine, and I think Heather enjoyed it as well. Then we drove around Boulder for a bit, including driving up into the hills briefly to get a view over town, and then we stopped at Whole Foods for some stuff for the weekend before coming home and gossiping for the last couple of hours.

But now I need to sleep - we're headed up into the mountains for the weekend, so I should enjoy my own bed tonight so that I can pack and take off tomorrow. Goodnight!

what about all the times you said you had the answer

I had meetings pretty much straight from 9:30 to 5:30, which was totally exhausting - I told someone it was like being back in the gym after a couple of weeks off, since my mental stamina had noticeably declined and I was not in great shape by the end of it.

But I survived - and I got some work done before work, and then I hung out after work, and I had some tasty sushi in the middle of the day, so it could have been worse. It could have been way better, but it also could have been worse. I spent this evening procrastinating (I was so lazy that I ate yogurt for supper rather than bothering to heat up the chicken I made last night), but I eventually forced myself to write for a bit, so that's good. And I spent the last hour and a half doing work stuff - not fun, but I'll feel better about myself tomorrow for having gotten something done now.

And now it's time to sleep - goodnight!

I was born in a thunderstorm

Blogging from my phone because I don't feel like retrieving my laptop... But today I was committed to pretending that I wasn't back from vacation. I got up and wrote for a bit before work, then went to work for all of four hours before skipping out for an offsite.

My team has no budget for offsite at the moment, so we did it super cheap by hanging out at the pool in one person's apartment complex. So I spent a few hours in the sun, trying to avoid scratching the rather horrible ant bites that were revealed when I put on shorts, and playing a game that was a cross between catchphrase and charades.

Then I came home, procrastinated, made dinner (chicken and fajita veggies and lettuce and avocado), procrastinated some more, and then wrote for another hour. And now I need to sleep because I have to actually do day job stuff tomorrow - goodnight!

return of the mack

I'm back at work, but I didn't want to be there, so I mostly went to meetings, caught up with a bunch of people, and continued to ignore my inbox. I then came home (with a stop at whole foods), did some house stuff, did some laundry, trimmed my bangs, and wrote for an hour. Yes, I am living the dream.

But if I want to write before work tomorrow, I have to go to bed - goodnight!

the people of the town are strange, and they're proud of where they came

I. Am. Not. Ready. To. Go. Back. To. Work.

Sadly, all things must end, including vacations. I'm back in Boulder, after planes, automobiles, and a v brief airtrain. The family reunion was totally delightful, and I was sad to leave, but it's good to be back in my own bed for a couple of weeks.

And now I should sleep - I was super lazy tonight and avoided all day job stuff for my last few hours of freedom. Instead, I lazed around, then had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, where the bartender (whom I hadn't met beforeb very presumptuously asked me if I would critique his writing without even introducing himself or asking my name, but he gave me some free bourbon, so I guess I shall be benevolent (although the chances of me responding to him when I don't respond to any of my real friends are extremely remote). Then I came home and read DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE for a couple of hours, and now I need to sleep - goodnight!

when that sun is high in that texas sky

I'm in a hotel room in Kerrville, TX, which is about as opposite from a castle in New York as one can be. [censored] and I are struggling with the air conditioner, since the knob comes off in your hand and you don't know whether you've successfully hit the desired temperature or if you've somehow awakened a fire demon or a frosty hellbeast. And it's only been thirty-six hours since I left behind all my writer friends (and, accidentally, three of my bras), but it feels like forever....

But yesterday was a relatively smooth travel day - I got up, showered, packed, said my goodbyes, and drove me and Monica to Newark. I was there early enough to have a tasty steak salad and a glass of wine before boarding, and I spent the flight napping and finishing A COURT OF WINGS A RUIN. It tied things up a bit too neatly for my tastes, but I enjoyed it, so yay for that.

When I got to San Antonio, I got my rental car, parked it in short term parking, and then met my parents in the airport. I was supposed to wait around for [censored], who was coming from [censored], but the flight was [censored] and I didn't want to deal with it. So we spoke to the charming man at Enterprise, who let us put my parents' car in [censored]'s name so [censored] could pick it up later, and I drove my parents out to Kerrville. When we got here, we had dinner with Uncle Mark and Aunt Kathy at Billy Gene's, which we've eaten at before - I know this town way too well considering that I've never lived here and have no desire to. [censored] got in not too late, which was a pleasant surprise, and I went to bed and nearly froze to death, which would have been an exciting way to die in Texas in June.

Today, though, was pretty perfect if you like funerals. We had breakfast with the parents at the hotel, and then we drove out to the ranch (in two vehicles - car sickness runs in the family and none of us can handle sitting in the backseat on winding, rutted roads). The entrance to the ranch is 35min outside of town, and the driveway is another 20min of driving beyond that, filled with deer, cows, horses, wild turkeys, and the occasional jackrabbit. It's a gorgeous spot, and we got out there in time for lunch (barbecued pork, baked beans, and coleslaw).

But the afternoon turned into a funeral (this was not a surprise, since it was well-planned) - Wendell's wife Barbara passed away in January, so we had a memorial service for her. It was a ways up the road from where we have the reunion, including a shortcut through a field that was just a pair of ruts (my rental car agreement probably doesn't include burning the car up in a field of grass, but it didn't happen, so that was all good). They've put a tombstone under an old oak tree on a hill, which was gorgeous, and their neighbors had set up chairs and refreshments, which was super nice of them.

It was all fairly emotional, despite being lovely - Wendell is the last Wampler of his generation (his sister and a first cousin are still alive, but he's the last male), and he was in the same generation as my granddad....and in some ways it felt and sounded like I was hearing my granddad give a eulogy, since they have some things in common. His stoicism broke my heart. His remaining sons also spoke (other heartbreak: one of his sons died unexpectedly this spring), and it was all lovely and sad all at once.

Then we drank champagne and looked out over the hills, and then we drove back to the ranch, where my immediately family was in charge of dinner for tonight. So we took care of that, enjoyed the food, and finished the night by watching a massive fireworks display. And then [censored] and I drove back through many and varied hazards on the road, both alive and in our memories, and now it's time for bed - goodnight!

i'm only hanging on to watch you go down my love

I'm both super sad that tonight is my last night on my writing retreat, and super excited to go on to my next adventure. Today was pretty good, all in all - not as much writing as I wanted to get done, but it was totally adequate. I also took a break to take some people to Dairy Queen (writing retreat snack of champions), and spent some time in the sun talking to my mom, and it was all quite lovely.

We ended the night by getting a delivery of Greek food (super yummy), and I had more white wine than was strictly advisable (starting to drink at six and continuing until after eleven was probably a bad idea...but it was my last night and the wine was tasty, so #noregrets). But now I need to sleep - I have to get up and pack and eat and say goodbye so that I can drive to the airport, so sleeping now would be an excellent idea. Goodnight!

i found solace in the strangest place

I'm already incredibly sad that I have to leave in less than thirty-six hours - the castle retreat has been pretty amazing, and I'm not at all ready for it to end. Today was another lovely day - some sleeping, some coffee, some writing, a late lunch, more writing, a nap, and some time on the phone with my dad while lying on a porch swing in the sun (I didn't talk to him on Sunday, so we were overdue). Then we all went out for dinner at a place called 14 and Hudson, which was super tasty - my burger was really excellent, and all the food was delightful.

But now I should sleep so I can make the most of my last day here - goodnight!

you'd be speaking in riddles and you'd never confide

Man, I love writing retreats. Or maybe I just love vacation. Or maybe I just love those days when the stories are flowing and the breaks consist of Dairy Queen and sauvignon blanc (not together). Whatever I love, today had all of it. I got exactly the right amount of sleep, got up, went downstairs, made some coffee and wrote for awhile, had some pizza and a break, worked for a bit more, and then showered before driving four lucky retreat members to the liquor store / grocery store / Dairy Queen. As the sole driver of the only car, I have a lot of power, but I am a benevolent dictator and try to make people happy (when I'm not beheading them, of course).

Our trip to Dairy Queen was entirely successful - I got a Heath Blizzard, which was delish, and everyone else walked away with some tasty ice cream as well. Then we came back to the castle, and I wrote + took a nap (the sugar from mid-afternoon ice cream, when I usually never eat ice cream, really threw me over the edge). And I put myself in charge of ordering dinner, since I seem to have the best luck / experience with food apps - which resulted in some v. v. tasty thai food.

And then a bunch of us stayed up to varying degrees of lateness, with varying degrees of alcohol, which meant that Christine, Veronica and I closed it all down at 12:30am with the last remnants of our sauvignon blanc. And now I should really sleep - goodnight!

spirits in my head and they won't go

I had a perfectly delightful day in my castle retreat - yes, I know this sounds unbelievably smug and ridiculous, but #sarasnotsorry. I slept until 10:30ish, which was necessary; then I had some coffee and some yogurt, and I worked for awhile before lunch. I had a sandwich for lunch, pulled myself away from all the gossip, and worked some more - I've already been more productive than I usually am on retreats, so I'm feeling pretty solid about that.

But this afternoon turned into a slow fade into mediocrity - I finally took a shower, and then I meant to write some more, but instead I took a nap in the billiards room (my new favorite place, since I can hide from everyone there). Then I took charge, as I am wont to do (especially with my return to corporate life), and figured out the dinner situation - we ordered pizza, which turned into an almost laughable amount of pizza since the pizzas were waaaay bigger than anticipated.

While I was waiting for the pizzas, I went outside and called my mom - she was in decent from, although the heat and raccoons are getting to her (as they would get to anyone). Then the pizza arrived, so we ate pizza, drank wine, and sat around talking until midnight. Not everyone talked that long - some disappeared to watch the Warriors/Cavaliers, which I didn't care about beyond the fact that LeBron is the source of a lot of great new memes showing up in the meme ecosystem. But it was a lovely night in the castle, and I'm grateful for that.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

i found someone to carry me home tonight

It's 2 a.m. and I'm way too tired to blog, so this is all you're getting. But today was really great. I slept until 11, then took a shower, then ate a salad out on the back porch, and then I spent most of the afternoon writing. But I did take a break to drive Anne, Veronica, Stephanie, and Barbara to a Starbucks and a liquor store, which are basically the only staples of the writer community.

On most retreats we cook for each other, but on this one we decided that we should go out to eat more often. So tonight I made a reservation at a Mexican restaurant, which was shockingly, surprisingly delicious. We spent a couple of hours there, and I was disappointingly sober because I was driving.

But when we got home, I shared a bottle of too-sweet pinot grigio with Veronica, and we all stayed up until midnight brainstorming my book. Some ideas were more helpful than others, and some people weirdly suggested adding the Daughters of the American Revolution and also a cat, but we'll see if I take them up on it. But now it's time for bed - goodnight!

you said, "baby, we don't speak of that," like a real aristocrat

I am in a castle in New York, and it is weird and wonderful and terrifying and we're probably all going to get murdered. There are four floors and an attic, and half the time when I'm looking for one room I end up in another one. There is a koi pond outside, and the walls are covered in vines, and my room includes a carve-out for the turret, which is entirely useless. Somewhere deep in the bowels of the house, a guy named Raj lives with his little dog - he is perhaps, theoretically, here to take care of us, but that so far has mostly meant that he turned on some very loud house/club music around the pool and left it playing for ten hours. #priorities

This morning was an exercise in pain - I got approximately four hours of sleep since I worked so late last night, which meant I was dragging this morning and left later than I wanted to. I still made it to the airport on time, but I had to eat my beloved Cantina Grill (which, let's be honest, isn't that good, but I keep going back) to-go at my gate area since they were boarding while I was walking up. But my flight was uneventful, albeit slightly delayed. When I got to Newark, I rendezvoused with Barbara, and we picked up a rental car. Monica met us at the car, and I drove us to the castle - it was about an hour in rush hour with crazy directions, but I managed it without killing us, so I feel quite smug about that.

When I got here, though, I was feeling a little cranky - tired, hungry, and in need of making some quick decisions with minimal indecisiveness. But it took like thirty minutes to explore the house - Stephanie had arrived first (I don't really know her, but she's super smart and seems fun, so that's great), and she gave us a tour of what she had discovered (did I mention that there is a massage table hidden away inside a vault in the basement? this place is SO WEIRD). Then we chose rooms, and then I got mildly annoyed trying to get people to look at apps on the phones to figure out if we could gets lyfts and Instacart (answer: yes), and then I drove Veronica, Monica, Christie, and Barbara to a grocery store so we could stock up. As usual, we bought way too much stuff. We also had to go to a liquor store, since you can't buy wine and groceries at the same time - tragic.

Then we came home and ate dinner at 9pm - Stephanie had picked up groceries before us and made some super delicious chicken, salmon, rice, and veggies, which was yummy. Veronica and I polished off a bottle of pinot grigio in short order, not even delaying to greet Anne, Grace, and Tina, who arrived a little after we started eating. We're still missing Deb, but 9 out of 10 made it tonight, so that's pretty good (unless you're Deb).

Anyway, we stayed up until after midnight sitting around the dining table, which is in a crazily paneled room with little heads carved into the walls (yes, my young adult novel will do super well here). Of course, there's also a salon that is perfect for plotting historical romance, should my heart desire. But fun needed to end since we were all tired, so we went to bed...or tried to go to bed, but instead spent an hour laughing hysterically when Veronica found something that was a cross between a centipede and a demon in her room, and it vanished while she and Anne were arguing about whether to kill it or whether to catch and release it (hint: if it's a demon, never opt for catch-and-release).

But now, I really need to sleep - I doubt I can get the eight hours I desperately need, but I'm going to make a valiant effort. Goodnight!

i need a place to take refuge, see i been loving you blind

Okay, so I just worked from 9:30pm-ish to 1:15am...but I got through my entire to-do list, got my work inbox down to fourteen emails, and I can go on vacation with a clear conscience (and without having to take my laptop). YAY.

Anyway, today was good enough, but I need to go to sleep immediately since I leave for the airport in six hours. At least I'm mostly packed (mostly). More to come from vacation - goodnight!