copper goes green, steel beams go rust

I'm still feeling a bit sick to my stomach, but hopefully that subsides with a weekend off from making slides. I was pretty productive at work despite that, and I took a break to have lunch with some people, which felt unheard of given how my week has been going. And I cleared out at five and got a manicure, which felt like a v. well-deserved end to a very long short week.

After the manicure, I washed my car, grabbed some takeout mediterranean food, came home, messed around, and talked to Katie. Then I did a couple of hours of housework in an attempt to prepare for my move - I've purged a bunch of stuff in my office and packed up my desk and file cabinet, so that's a decent start. I still need to decide if I'm getting rid of any books, but after that the office packing should go really fast.

And now, I should probably sleep and hope that sleep cures my stomach - goodnight!

harmony hall

Today was more relaxing than the last few have been - although I squandered it by feeling a bit sick to my stomach. I wasn't feeling eager this morning, and so I got to the office later than planned (but still early enough that I wasn't a slacker). I had a couple of hours of meetings, including a presentation that went comically awry because our videoconference kept dropping off (at some point everything reconnected and I told the other room to just pretend they'd heard what I'd said, since I was getting tired of repeating it).

Then I grabbed lunch and drove into Denver - our team had an outing to the Rockies baseball game, so I spent the afternoon at the ballpark. Our seats were pretty good - we were on the club level in the shade, which was far more pleasant than I was expecting. The club level meant that we also got like $25 of free food/drinks/merchandise, so I now have a Colorado Rockies baseball cap that I can wear when I'm attempting to fit in. The game was fun, but most of us weren't really that into it, so we basically just ate and drank and then left before it was over to avoid traffic. Turns out it went into an extra inning before the Rockies won at the end, so I'm sure the people who cared enjoyed that.

I was going to do stuff in Denver after, but I wasn't feeling well, so I came home and took a rather long nap in an attempt to fix my stomach (I blame stress + cheap nachos). And now I'm going to go to bed for real - goodnight!

married in a gold rush

This was an unusually brutal Tuesday - I had meetings straight through from nine to almost six, with a break for lunch that I used to do as much work as possible. One of those meetings was a presentation to my VP and all the directors - it went well, but it's going to result in more work (as per usual).

I should have worked all night tonight, but instead I went on a Target run, grabbed dinner at Motomaki, and then came home, tidied up the kitchen, messed around online, and then spent some quality time purging things in my office. There is still a lot to purge, but I'm happy with what I sorted through so far. And now I'm debating whether to do work (which is what I should theoretically do) or go to bed (which is what I'm almost certainly going to do). Goodnight!

slay trick or you get eliminated

I'm back in Boulder after a couple of perfect days in Boston. Today, alas, was not perfect - I didn't get enough sleep last night, and so while I made it to the airport in time to get breakfast, I was not feeling in it to win it. I spent part of the flight dozing and part of the flight doing day job stuff, which was an annoying way to end my vacation - but this week is going to be brutal because it's short, and I knew I would feel better if I got some stuff done.

When I got to Denver, I was v. airsick due to the bumpy descent, and also hungry, so I sat at the airport and had lunch and tried to calm my nausea. Then I drove home and promptly took a nap, which felt amazing. I also talked to my parents for quite awhile, and messed around online, and ate scrambled eggs and toast because it's all I had and I was too lazy to go out. Then, alas, I did another hour or so of work just now - I'm ready for the main presentation that I have to give tomorrow, but I have another lesser presentation to mostly the same audience on Wednesday that I've put no thought into, and another preso next Monday that I should probably start making at some point.

So, work was necessary, but hopefully that means the week feels a little bit sane. And now I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

okay ladies now let's get in formation

I'm sad that my time in Boston is already over - but all good things end, and I'm sure we'll have many more fun memories in the future. Today started with coffee and bacon, as all good days do. Then, after I showered and Anika had her music class, we went to Tiger Mama for brunch. The food was really excellent - I was especially enamored with the fried rice that had scallops and pork and many other delicious things. We also had mai tais because it was #tikibrunch, which felt very on brand.

When we'd eaten as much as was advisable, we walked around until Anika fell asleep in the stroller, and then had a drink at the cafe in the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. When Anika woke up, we could no longer be all in on rose, so we walked around the museum for a bit - Isabella was a major collector of art and turned her home into a museum, and I'm really going to have to put in a concerted effort if I want to catch up to her level of eccentricity. Also, the museum lost some major paintings in a famous robbery, and the frames were still on display, which was interesting.

But none of this was interesting to Anika, so we came home, changed, and spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool. We then ordered pizza to soak up the bottle of champagne we'd opened at the pool, and then Ritu put Anika down, and then Ritu and I hung out on the balcony and discussed age and family and youth and all sorts of other gossip until we were both too tired to continue. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

the wheels on the bus

Ritu Rani and I had a great day in Boston - it was almost like all our other days in Boston, except we had a toddler with us instead of Bill (so really not different at all). I woke up later than the baby, of course, but I made it upstairs in time for coffee and berries before Ritu and Anika went to Anika's swim lesson. I took that opportunity to shower, and when we were all ready, it was time for fun.

We first had lunch at Island Creek Oyster Bar, which is exactly what we would normally do. Anika miraculously slept through the whole thing, so we had oysters and wine and other tasty things while catching up. Then, Ritu indulged my desire to go to Room and Board and look at furniture - I'm coveting nice outdoor furniture, as well as an adjustable desk to accommodate my ridiculous height, so we checked it all out. Anika really enjoyed climbing on everything, and I really enjoyed sitting on some patio furniture, and Ritu enjoyed almost buying some dining chairs without showing them to Bill (although she changed her mind at the last second).

Then we came home and I took a fifteen minute nap to save myself from certain death. We then walked to a park with a really nice playground and chased Anika around there for a couple of hours while drinking illicit rosé out of a water bottle like total hooligans. We stopped for Thai food on the way home, then came home and put Anika to bed - which means Ritu did all of that and I took a nap on the couch.

But then Ritu and I talked for several hours - and Ritu, in a nod to our usual practices, ordered us a second dinner at eleven pm because our entire way of interacting with each other is grounded in gluttony. She probably would have kept feeding me, and if this were a fairy tale I was definitely getting fattened up for her ovens...but I think I'm safe for now. And now, with a thunderstorm brewing outside, it's time for bed - goodnight!

streetlight serenader

I'm in Boston, happily ensconced in Ritu's guest room, sure to be awoken before I've fully sobered up by the sweet sounds of her toddler roaring to life. Today was smooth overall - I made it out the door and into the office by 8:30, had meetings for four hours straight, then went to the airport. I was really early, so I had lunch (and margaritas) at cantina grill and did some work before boarding.

I was upgraded, so I read a bit before take off, then worked most of the flight. I was mostly tweaking a presentation that I have to give on Tuesday, so I had some wine while nudging graphics on slides. I also befriended the flight attendant, so when I asked for a Bailey's on the rocks at the end, he brought me a full glass. Lolol.

So, I was flying high by the time Ritu picked me up at ten pm. We spent the last four hours hanging out with Bill and drinking wine - Bill is leaving early tomorrow for Chicago, which means this was our only night together. We progressed rapidly through all our usual topics (Iowa, simple machines, turning resurrected woolly mammoths into diesel fuel, how much we've drank together in the past, sex while wearing wolf masks, more Iowa, and Billy Joel). And now, even though I don't want to, I need to sleep so I can survive tomorrow - goodnight!

the money always talks to the idiot savants

Guess what - I worked today. I felt good about what I got done, even if it was meetings straight from 9:30-4:30 (with a quick lunch with Kelly in there - so still a conversation, but at least that was fun). Then I left the office and had dinner with Isaac and Caroline at The Kitchen - we were all in need of drinks (and food I guess), so that was fun.

Then I came home and packed - I'm going to Boston tomorrow, and I have to take all my stuff to the office when I leave the house in the morning, so packing tonight was essential. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

she said my spirit doesn't move like it did before

Today was rather long - I've got one big presentation on Tuesday morning, which is v. inconveniently right after a long weekend in which I'm flying to Boston (note: Boston is not inconvenient because I'm seeing Riturani!!). I've also got a secondary presentation on Wednesday that I should be putting way more effort into, but Tuesday is taking precedent. And there's all the usual chaos at work on top of that, so I'm feeling behind.

So, I got up at 7:30 due to last night's late work extravaganza, and took a call from home at eight before going into the office. I was at the office until 4:30, when I zipped out to get a pedicure (a girl's gotta prioritize). Then I had some food at motomaki, came home, took a brief nap, and did some whirlwind tidying - my landlord is showing my place to a prospective renter on Friday, and my place is clean of dirt but is also cluttered because I gave up on keeping it neat a couple of months ago when I knew I would move, and I've been hoarding boxes, so it's kind of a mess. I succeeded in straightening up a lot quickly, though, so I don't look like a total disaster.

Then I worked for the last two hours, but I'm happy with what I got done. And now I need to go to bed - I'd like to write in the morning, so sleep would be a good idea. Goodnight!

feel it still

I had a v long day - no drama, just a lot of work (and a bit of writing, and a nap). So that's all you're getting for now - goodnight!

deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder where it's so white as snow

It's snowing in Boulder. Not just little flakes - big, stick-to-your-eyelashes flakes that swirled around as I walked to my car, accumulating on all the trees and bushes and flowers that seem to be as over this shit as I am. This is apparently Denver's latest accumulating snowfall since 2002, and this is a record I would like to have opted out of, thank you very much.

So I awoke in a fairly foul mood - I didn't get enough sleep last night, and so rather than getting up and writing, I hit snooze for an hour. I did sit at my desk at home for awhile then, but it was to take care of some mundane stuff. Then I showered and went into the office, where I had a relatively quiet day - I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but it was better than nothing, and it was probably the last kinda-relaxing day I'll have in awhile, so I tried to take advantage of it.

I ended up leaving at 5:30 and having happy hour/dinner with the other Sara. There are actually many Saras and Sarahs around (two Sarahs sit within ten feet of me, and I just hired another one), but this particular Sara is great. We went to Boulder Depot and spent several hours gossiping, which was super fun - and we exchanged numbers at the end, so I think it went well and that we're going to be real friends now. This turned out to be v. beneficial for her, since she left my laptop in my car when I dropped her off at the office - luckily I went into the office to pick up a package, so she was able to get it with no drama.

Then I came home, messed around online, did a desultory bit of email work for the day job for the last hour, and then did a bit of book business. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

into the blue

My uncle would have been sixty-seven today. I felt rather sad about this all day; it isn't really any different than any other day, and quite frankly, since I'm kind of a bitch about communication, if he were alive I probably would have texted him and then moved on with my day. So, that's something I've been reflecting on over the past few months - I'm really quite bad at keeping in touch with people who matter, or responding to people who reach out (hi Alana, who reads this blog and whose email I didn't respond to after my uncle died). And I'm really unclear why that is. When I'm with people, I try my best to be tuned in, and I really enjoy deep, meaningful connections....but when I'm not with people, my energy is focused on whatever I'm doing in the moment rather than keeping connections alive across time and distance. And so, because I was rarely with Uncle Mark, and because I tended to ignore emails, I'm now feeling regret for how that connection dimmed even before he was suddenly gone.

sssanyway. Today was less productive than hoped, perhaps for now-obvious reasons. I stayed in bed longer than I should have, then spent the morning messing around with my finances and taking care of some mundane tasks. I eventually showered, ran some errands, and then spent almost three hours on the phone with [censored] and with my parents, with a break in between to make dinner (a new instant pot recipe for a chicken mushroom pasta that didn't turn out quite as nice as I'd hoped, but was still respectable). And I did tidy up my bedroom and put some stuff away, and also do two loads of laundry, so it wasn't all sloth.

But now I need to sleep - goodnight!

she's got a boyfriend anyway

Today was way more productive than my Saturdays usually are - I'm pretty determined to purge stuff before moving, so that was the main goal. I got up around eight, drank some coffee, and immediately dragged all the clothes out of my closets, dresser, etc. and threw them on my bed, thus forcing myself to make progress if I wanted to sleep tonight. Marie Kondo's method involves doing all the clothes at once, rather than doing a closet or drawer at a time, which seems to make a lot of sense - when you see how much stuff is piled in one place, it's a grim reminder of how much stuff you (or at least me) have accumulated.

So I spent a couple of hours this morning doing that, but I took a break to drive into Denver and have brunch with Barbara. She drove up from Colorado Springs to meet me, and we had a delightful time - we caught up over food, and then we walked across the street to Room and Board and did some window shopping (and some lounging on some outdoor furniture that I'm now completely coveting - I'm thinking of going lounge-y with my outdoor furniture, and I was seriously impressed by the fact that the upholstered furniture on the rooftop deck all felt dry despite the rain we'd had a couple of hours earlier). It was great to see her, and it was nice to have one social activity today to get me out of the house.

After that, I thought about doing some more shopping in Denver, or sticking around and seeing Katie...but the specter of the huge pile of clothes on my bed was enough to lure me back home. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon/evening dealing with the clothes situation - I was able to eliminate a lot of stuff that no longer sparks joy, and it's vaguely sorted into piles that I may be able to sell vs stuff I can donate vs stuff I just need to recycle/toss. Unfortunately, I also had to confront the fact that many of the pieces that still spark joy don't really fit because I gained about twenty pounds between traveling, not working out, and eating at Google (and probably also from being stressed/depressed last year). So, while this is probably not strictly following the KonMari method, I kept the clothes that spark joy but don't fit, although I put them into a storage box rather than hanging them back in my closet. They don't take up much space, so I'll give myself a year to see if I can fit back into them...but for now they'll just have to spark joy in a box rather than on my body.

sssanyway. I tidied up the last thing around ten p.m., and while I still have piles in my room, everything has been sorted and my bed was cleared again. Then I took a break and watched another Marie Kondo episode, which was a funny reward for having just spent all day cleaning, but whatever.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

spark joy

I wrote before work this morning, which was a good thing - it helped me to feel just a bit more sane and grounded before all the usual madness began. Then I worked straight from 8:30 to 4:30, most of which was meetings, which definitely did not spark joy.

But I left at 4:45 to get a manicure, which did spark joy. Then I grabbed a bottle of wine and a quick dinner, came home, and drank a couple of glasses of said wine (using my v. wonderful Coravin, which means I didn't have to open the bottle and so am not obliged to finish it this weekend) while binge watching four episodes of 'Tidying Up' - Marie Kondo's show on Netflix.

As it turns out, I read her book four years ago right now, while I was lazing about in Bora Bora on my spinster honeymoon with Joann (Joann sent me a message earlier this week saying it was our four-year anniversary and that we need to plan a trip for our five-year, which I'm all in on). As I recall, Joann thought it was ridiculous that Marie Kondo recommends folding your socks a certain way to let them relax while you're not using them, which may be fair...but the tv show is designed for American audiences and so only goes into her method for folding shirts and pants, not her slightly more bizarre recommendations for some other things.

I've actually been using her shirt-folding method for several years, which I'm all in on. But I haven't really Konmari'd the rest of my house - and now that I'm going to be moving into a new one, which I will likely be staying in for quite some time, I want to massively purge my current stuff to avoid dragging known problems into my new space. So, the show was meant to be inspiration to start the purge this weekend. The first three episodes were great; unfortunately, the fourth episode was about a widow who was cleaning out her house and dealing with her husband's clothes in their shared closet, and so I sobbed through most of it (it's Uncle Mark's birthday on Sunday, so he's on my mind anyway, and watching a show about someone dealing with the aftermath of a recent loss was probably not the best method of dealing with grief).

However, the show as a whole was fun, and reminded me of [censored]'s speculation that Marie Kondo would have a nervous breakdown if she saw [censored] and the seventy years' worth of stuff there. By comparison, my place is in pretty good shape - but some purging is definitely in order.

Now, though, I need to sleep - I have coffee set to brew in eight-ish hours, and I want to get some stuff done around the house before going into Denver to pursue some fun plans. So now it's time for bed - goodnight!

we're far from the shallow now

I had not such a great day today - it started off well, but then ended with some annoyance as I discovered that something I thought was going well was not, in fact, going well. This is not unlike my day 34 years ago, when I thought something that was going well (my mom was having a baby!) instead was not going well (the baby required attention!).

JUST KIDDING [CENSORED], HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

sssanyway, I'm glad [censored] is around and having a birthday, so I suppose the day wasn't all bad. But I worked too much and now I need to sleep - I really want to write in the morning but I also have an 8:30 meeting, so we'll see. Goodnight!

gloria, there's easier ways to die

I bought a house! It's all official as of today - I went to Denver this afternoon, sat in a conference, and signed my life away. The only bleak moment was when the title guy cheerfully disclosed that I'll be done paying for it in 2049, which makes me wonder whether the house will end up being directly under some flying-car thoroughfare...but we'll probably all be dead by then anyway, so that's a problem I'm going to ignore for now.

sssanyway, the house buying is exciting, but I'm tempering my excitement because the sellers are renting back for three weeks (does that make me a wamplord?), and so I won't actually take possession until June 7. But still, it's all very real, and I'm pretty excited to make it my own.

The rest of the day was also lovely - I went into the office and did meetings from eight to twelve before leaving for Denver, and then I played hooky this afternoon and went to the mall instead of working diligently at a coffee shop as I intended. Then I met up with Katie for #girlsnightout at Bar Dough - we celebrated the fact that we're now basically neighbors by having v. v. delicious salad and pasta. Their food is incredible but the pasta portions are relatively small - probably the 'right' size, but rather than ordering dessert, we got another pasta to share. I'm sure their real pasta is amazing, but their gluten free pasta is pretty incredible in its own right, and I'm getting hungry just thinking about it again.

So Katie and I had a great time together, and then we drove by my new house, and then I gave her some career advice that revealed how ruthless I can be (shhhh, don't tell anyone). And then I drove back to Boulder, and now it's time for bed - goodnight!

we don't like to do too much explainin'

I shouldn't have worked so late last night - while it felt really good to cross a bunch of stuff off my list, I tapped too deep into the vein, which means I was exhausted this morning. Needless to say, I didn't write. Instead, I sat in meetings through much of the day, and spent my breaks trying to get as much done as possible so that I didn't need to think about work tonight.

For the most part, I succeeded - I left the office at 5:30, and while I had to log in to send one email tonight, I was mostly off. So I went to Pizzeria Locale and plotted out how to write this book (from a productivity standpoint, not a plotting standpoint), and also wrote down a whole bunch of possible names for people's titles in this book (I've been writing with blanks left for the title names, which is starting to get old). Then I came home, folded laundry, generally tidied up, and daydreamed a bit about paint.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

cheap thrills

No blog tonight - I wrote this morning and then slogged all day and most of the night, so I'm too wiped out to keep looking at screens. Goodnight!

i could wait a year, but i couldn't wait three

I'm sitting in my own bed after many nights away, and as soon as I walked in the door I just wanted to crash rather than doing anything that I had intended to do tonight. So, I let myself indulge in crashing - my travel day was mostly uneventful, but also exhausting, and it came on top of 9+ days of extreme socializing. I stayed in bed longer than I should have this morning, which meant I was a bit more rushed than I like to be at the airport - by the time I returned my rental car, checked my bag, got through security, and reached the gate, they were about to start boarding. Luckily, since I didn't have to worry about overhead space, I took time to eat some mediterranean food and grab an iced coffee before boarding, so at least I had one last meal in San Francisco so that I could avoid getting hangry.

The flight was uneventful, but it took 45min to get my luggage, which made me a bit surly. Then I drove home; I talked to my dad on the way, took a break from the phone so they could eat supper (and so I could grab food at motomaki), and then talked to my mom. After that, I sat on the couch and did nothing, and it was great.

Now, though, I need to sleep - I did do a bit of planning for the week ahead, which is going to have a lot going on, and I want to get up and write tomorrow before all the madness starts again. Happy mother's day to all of you who are mothers (especially my own) - and hugs to those of you whose mothers aren't with you anymore to celebrate. Goodnight!

the girl from ipanema

Today was nonstop. I started by getting a cashier's check, since I'm closing on the house on Wednesday... But while I'd originally thought that I could accomplish that errand in a v leisurely way in San Francisco, I instead had to drive down to Stanford and back to visit the Stanford credit union directly. It probably would have worked at an affiliated bank up here, but I didn't have time to risk it.

So I spent fifty minutes driving down, three minutes in the back, and fifty minutes driving back. Then I saw Katrina - we grabbed brunch at Nopalito, which is always a tasty thing to work into my trips here. After Katrina, I drove straight to the east bay and had coffee with Claudia (aka Santy Claude). This was supposed to be our main outing, but she and Sam decided to buy last-minute tickets to Jess's performance this afternoon, so we all headed to Jess's house around four.

The performance was Jess's vocals and another guy's trumpet (and a pianist accompaniment), and it was v intimate since it was in Jess's living room. Jess is an amazing singer, so the music was quite good (even if Ian often attempted to steal the show).

Everyone hung out for awhile after, and when it was all over, John, Jess, Ian, Claudia, Sam and I grabbed dinner at Barney's. That ended somewhat abruptly due to a ketchup incident, as outings with toddlers usually do. So I said my goodbyes, came to the city, went straight to Priyanka and Adit's house, and spent some quality time in their very aesthetically pleasing house.

But now I've already fallen asleep twice and there's no good reason to ruminate about the day right now - so goodnight!

I'm traveling at the speed of light

Today was an exercise in pain, but i survived the effects of last night's mai tais. I also survived many meetings before making my escape for the weekend. I had a long dinner at My Tofu House with Grace, followed by more talking at the coffee shop next door. Then I came back my to hotel, where chandlord met me, and we had an hour to catch up.

But now I'm falling asleep writing this and have to get up early tomorrow - goodnight!

they keep things loose, they keep em tight

I had a long day, and my shoulder started hurting a lot at the end of it...but five ibuprofen and several mai tais got me through the worst of it. I had a million meetings, was trying to leave, and then got sucked into another meeting with my boss. But I eventually escaped, drove to the city, and met my team at the Tonga Room. Several of us hung out for several hours, and we were happily joined by a couple of other co-workers who happened to walk into the bar.

But all good things end, and after finishing our pupu platter and moving to Pagan Idol for another drink, it was time to part ways. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

i think there's a flaw in my code

I'm very tired, but I haven't quite hit the same level of terminal exhaustion that I usually hit on these trips, so I'd say I'm doing a good job of pacing myself. I did have to wake up pretty early this morning - I had an eight am meeting, and also traffic around here is supposed to be terrible due to a work event all week, so I wanted to get out of Jen's house by 7:20ish. That put me on campus at 7:40, which was early enough to grab coffee and say hi to someone before meeting.

Then I sent a couple of emails, grabbed breakfast, and spent allllll day in a design sprint. This involved spending the morning listening to some v. v. interesting lightning talks from other people in adjacent spaces, and then the afternoon designing experiences around the information we learned in the morning. It made for a long day since we had v. few breaks and only thirty minutes for lunch - but it was all really interesting and thought-provoking, and the group was engaged (and also I genuinely adore everyone who was there today), so it was pretty fun overall.

When it was over, a bunch of us went to Cascal for happy hour, which started strong and devolved into a discussion of Game of Thrones (I am the only person in the world who isn't watching it). After I left, I picked up sushi down the street and brought it back so that Jen and I could have supper together. We continued last night's catch-up over sushi, and continued to discuss how old we are, which was probably continue until we turn forty and stop thinking about such things. But still, it's nice that we've been friends for fifteen years - so there are advantages to getting old.

Then I spent the last hour working, since Jen also had to work - and now I'm wrapping up so I can go to bed. Goodnight!

didgeridoo

I'm in the original Jen Lui's guest room in the south bay, trying to avoid traffic since I had to be in Mountain View today and have to be back at the office fairly early tomorrow. I woke up super early this morning, checked out of my hotel, drove south, and spent the day doing many work-related things. Then I left, picked up a bottle of wine and a bunch of thai food, and came to Jen's.

Jen, Joann, Jane, and I spent the evening discussing a variety of serious and frivolous (and everything in between) topics, which was all rather hilarious. I also got several ideas for SPINSTER HONEYMOON, which is still sitting in the back of my subconscious - perhaps someday it will be ready to blossom, like the spinster it is, but not today. Eventually, though, since we all work where we work, we all had work to do - so Joann went home, and Jen and Jane and I have all been sitting in my guest room having a work party like the good old days.

But unlike the good old days, I'm old and need to go to bed early - goodnight!

bought a hundred dollar bottle of champagne like me

I had a nice day in California - I got up early enough to walk to the office and have a leisurely breakfast, and then I slogged all day (including a 1:1 with my VP and a bunch of somewhat delicate meetings) but somehow still had time for lunch with Alice and Chris. I also managed to leave at five, which felt pretty perfect.

Then I walked back to my hotel, freshened up, and picked up my car so I could drive to Burlingame. I had dinner with Barbara and Anne, which was totally wonderful - I saw Barbara in Denver a couple of weeks ago, but I hadn't seen Anne since dropping her off at the airport in San Diego after our writing retreat in January. So, we were overdue for a catch-up, which was duly accomplished.

And now I need to sleep so I can wake up super early and drive to mountain view - goodnight!

the moment is medical

I woke up in a Marriott in Denver, and I'm about to fall asleep in a Marriott in San Francisco. Today was mostly about saying goodbye and moving on; I woke up early so that I could say a quick goodbye to Subz when she left the hotel at 7am, and then I showered and got ready so that Terry and I could have breakfast together. Terry left around nine, and then I finished getting ready, packed, took a quick nap, etc. before vacating the hotel and moving forward.

I could have probably done something else then, but I was too tired to put any thought into what I wanted to do - so I just went to the airport, where I arrived three hours before my flight, which was absurd. However, that gave me time for a v. leisurely lunch, and also gave me time to talk to my mom without feeling rushed, so it was worth it. Unfortunately my flight was delayed a little bit - not terrible, but more time than I wanted to spend on the plane.

But I got to SF without incident, talked to my dad while waiting for my bag, and then picked up a rental car and drove into the city of sin. I spent this evening taking care of some personal stuff while drinking a glass of wine and eating dinner in the hotel bar - I'd planned to go eat somewhere like Lers Ros, which I never get in Boulder, but I was tired and it was sprinkling when I got here, so I played it safe and did a bit of stuff on my laptop instead.

And now, I should unpack and wash my face and get some sleep - goodnight!

and when you close your eyes

Last night's blog post went so off the rails that it made me laugh when I read it this morning. Unfortunately, laughter made my headache worse; that headache was rather obviously the result of the alcohol I had last night that got me to the point I was at when I posted my blog. However, be assured that I am still alive and my liver lives to fight another day.

Yesterday was super fun, although it started off not-so-ideally - I had some firedrills at work that required attention despite the fact that I'd taken the day off. I did manage to write before that, but then I spent way too much time drafting an email. After that I had to frantically shower and pack, and so I had peanut butter toast for a late breakfast. Then I threw my stuff in my car and drove to Park Meadows to meet Terry and her aunt.

Unfortunately, the peanut butter toast was my entire daytime calorie contribution, which I believe is why I got so drunk last night. Shopping was fun, though - I bought some super cute sandals and also a top, so that was winning. Then we met up with Lauren (aka Subz), had an amazing early dinner at El Five (with great views and even greater food), and then had a drink at Williams and Graham. That turned into two drinks - and my rum drinks (a Queens Park Swizzle) were strong enough to put me under the table.

So, today was definitely an exercise in pain. But I rallied and drove to Boulder to pick up a couple of things I forgot, and then we had a leisurely brunch at The Kitchen in Denver. We mostly wandered all afternoon, and I did get a chance to take a nap, which probably saved my life.

Eventually, we had dinner with Katie and Lola's - I've thrown every restaurant I know at Terry and Lauren, and if they don't come again, clearly I will have set an impossible goal (as I know it is). We had a delightful time, and then followed it up with drinks at Lady Jane - and now I need to sleep before I start talking nonsense like last time. Goodnight!

don't dream it's over

I'm falling asleep, and today was brutal even though it ended in Terry time and a a delightful dinner at El Five. Lauren (aka Subs) is here this weekend as well, so we're having fun even in the first midst se modernness

run along now, don't be glum

My temper was out in full force today, which made for a rather interesting string of meetings. However, I managed to hold it together without actually yelling at anyone, and I was able to leave at 4:45pm (after eating some free tacos and way too much guac) to get a manicure, so it could have been worse.

Then I came home, took a nap to sleep off some anger, did a whole lot of nothing to procrastinate...and then worked for the last three hours. I'm taking tomorrow off, so would like to say that I'm done for the weekend, although that probably isn't totally true. But for now I'm going to bed - goodnight!

it's about to go down

I got up and wrote this morning despite being in a somewhat foul mood, but for some reason no one gave me a medal.

So, medal-less, I went to the office, where I slogged from nine to five. Then I went to happy hour with my team - since my boss is in town, we had an excuse to go out, which resulted in me subsisting on wine and fries tonight (don't let me pretend that this was a sacrifice). Then I came home, did a bit of stuff around the house, and did a bit of work for the last hour or so.

And now, I should probably sleep if I want to repeat the writing feat tomorrow + avoid the crankiness feat tomorrow. But the upside of my foul mood was that I taught my French coworker the word 'curmudgeonly', so I guess I did one good deed today. Goodnight!