would you choose water over wine

I'm in an airport hotel near SFO and I should have gone to bed awhile ago - but I survived an epic first day in California. I had to wake up at 3:30am MDT (2:30am PDT) to get ready and go to the airport, which made for a very rough day. I also didn't really sleep on the flight - I had work that absolutely had to get done, so I pumped myself full of iced coffee and worked most of the way.

So by the time I got to the office at nine (ten in BLD), I'd already been up for 6.5hrs, was running on four hours of sleep, and knew that I was in for a bit of a rough day. However, I survived my meetings, including an in-person chat with my VP (I had intended to update her on some projects, but she spent the first ten minutes checking in on my burnout levels, likely because she is v. well aware that I'm a flight risk given my previous history (and also that I've got a lot going on and may burn out). But she also knows that I just bought a house, which basically means that I've accepted the golden handcuffs, so she didn't seem too worried). And I v. fortuitously ran into Jane, of my friendship renewal crew - so we had lunch together out in the sunshine, which was delightful.

I eventually left and was reminded why I don't live here when it took an hour and a half to get to the city, where I had the option of getting one taco, from a food truck, for $6.50. I did not take that option. Instead, I ate the pizza Adit had procured - Adit (some people call him the cat), Priyanka, Vihaan, Kaaviya, Ritu (aka the master of disaster), Ritu's mom, Bill, Anika (aka brown bill), Claudia (aka Santy Claude, but only in December), Sam, Sam's sister, and Chandlord (aka Vidya) all met up at some brewery, where the kids v. much enjoyed running around while we attempted to catch up.

At 7:30 the children were kicked out of the brewery, so we ended up going back to Adit and Priyanka's, where we continued to hang out in a slightly less noisy environment with slightly more singing and much more negotiation over the sharing of toys. I'm happy to report that, nearly twenty years into knowing each other, Adit and I might be on the verge of becoming friends. And seeing this group is always a delight.

So, it was worth it that I flew in early...but tomorrow will be painful if I don't sleep right now. Goodnight!

born slippy

I may have made a terrible mistake - I'm flying to SF tomorrow (not a mistake), but I moved my flight up by 12hrs so that I could do fun stuff tomorrow night (almost certainly a mistake). That meant I had to scramble the last couple of hours to pack, trim my bangs, take out the trash, do laundry, and do some day job work...and now I have to get up in about four hours. Gross.

But today was decent - I went to work, gave a big presentation (and felt like I crushed it, although we'll find out), did a bunch of stuff, and then left to come home. And now I really should consider sleeping rather than staring at screens - goodnight!

i'd take it all back just to have you

Today was a bit of a slog - it wasn't bad since I actually had time to do some work, but it also wasn't great because I still have more work than I possibly could have gotten done today. But my team rallied while I was out to redo a presentation that we have to give tomorrow, so I only had to spend a few hours going through my last rounds of obsessive tweaking (tweaking the slides, not twitching like a drug addict). Fun fact: a few minutes after sending the presentation out to tomorrow's audience, someone pinged me on our corporate chat app and said I may be the most prolific slidemaker in the org. Gross.

sssanyway. I slogged all day, took a break to have happy hour with Christine, drove home, and then worked for the last 2.5hrs. But the slides are done and I'm ready to unwind so that I can sleep - goodnight!

shake break bounce

I'm back in Denver and regularly scheduled life resumes tomorrow (although it will end again on Wednesday when I have to go to California). Today went pretty smoothly - I got up, showered, packed, and took care of a couple of tings around the house. Then I said farewell to [censored], and my parents drove me to the airport. The Des Moines airport continues to delight - I can stroll in from the entrance, up the escalator, be the only person in the TSA precheck line, and at my gate in approximately five minutes. I got there with plenty of time to spare, so I grabbed a snack and messed around with my writing for awhile.

The flight was mostly smooth and entirely uneventful; I wrote a little bit, but I mostly napped. When we landed, I retrieved my car and then stopped at Whole Foods on the way home. I tried a different one (downtown near Union Station) and I think I like it better than the Cherry Creek one - it's only ten minutes or so from my house when there's no downtown traffic, so that's a good discovery. When I got home, I ate a late lunch, sat on my couch doing nothing for a bit, and then spent a couple of hours scrambling to put my house in some semblance of order.

I'm now at the point where I'm pretty much unpacked (except for boxes lurking in corners of closets), and now it's just tidying / reorganizing / decorating. Of course, that phase can last forever. But I got it looking spiffy enough that I wasn't embarrassed to host my first guests - my friend Barbara, her daughter Kristen (who also works with me), and Barbara's husband Terry came over to hang out in my neighborhood. Barbara stopped over here on her way back from RWA, which I've gone to for over a decade - but it's a good thing I skipped this year, since I am glad I went home instead.

So, I gave them the full tour, and then we sat on my patio for awhile and had some snacks and mojitos while enjoying the space. Even though it's super hot here, the patio is nice in the late afternoon - it's shaded by the house, so it's actually pleasant out there. We eventually strolled down the street and ended up having dinner at El Camino. All in all it was a really good visit - too short, as always, but it was great to see Barbara, and I'm already looking forward to immersing myself with other writers in Tahoe in a couple of months.

We eventually parted ways, and I came home and cleaned the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, took out the trash, did a load of laundry, etc. I also had to do a bit of day job work - I should have done way more, but that's a problem for tomorrow. Right now it's time for bed - goodnight!

turn it around, get a rewrite

We finished moving Gram today, which went about as smoothly as it could have. I woke up and spent the morning hanging out around the house, talking to Dad and Mom and [censored] and Aunt Kathy (the live one, not the one whose ashes are partially sitting in a small keepsake urn that has now moved to our house from Gram's china cabinet). Eventually we all rendezvoused with Aunt B and Uncle B at Gram's former residence, where we loaded up the last of the stuff.

This mostly consisted of the aforementioned china cabinet, which is a little taller than I am (aka not that tall) but has a curved glass door that makes it v. tricky to move. We ended up doing it rather redneck-style - we got it into the bed of my brother's pickup, stood it upright, and then [censored] drove v. slowly across four miles of gravel roads with me and Aunt Becky standing in the bed of the truck bracing the cabinet to keep it upright. I probably should have put on sunscreen, but I didn't anticipate this turn of events. However, it was really almost pleasant (except for my hands falling asleep from gripping too hard while going up and down hills), since Becky and I got to talk the whole way, and the china cabinet is now safely ensconced in my parents' basement (aka the furniture graveyard, where other pieces from other grandparents already live).

So, that all worked out pretty well. We said our farewells to Aunt Becky and Brian then, and then went back to town to grab the last little bit of stuff. Aunt Kathy asked me how many limes I needed, which was a key early indicator (as we would say at work) of what was about to happen. So I drove home, made some simple syrup, and then made Kathy a well-deserved margarita (and also one for myself, whether it was deserved or not). Mom, Dad, [censored], Kathy and I then mostly hung out the rest of the afternoon/evening - my mother baked a gluten free cake that we had with strawberries and cream for dessert tonight, and we also had brats and hot dogs and fried potatoes and baked beans. This was all v. delicious, and it was a good way to end a couple of days of running around. It also sounds like Gram is settling in well at her new place (and may, in fact, not totally comprehend that she moved, but she sounded happy on the phone) - so that's the most important thing.

Aunt Kathy eventually decided she'd had enough of us, so she drove home, and the rest of us tried (with varying degrees of success) to stay awake. But now it's 11pm here and time for bed - I'm flying back to Denver in the morning, where I need to do a bunch of house stuff, even more day job work, and also see some friends in the evening. So, fingers crossed my travel is smooth. Goodnight!

is this heaven? no it's iowa

Rather unexpectedly, I'm in ye olde Iowa for the weekend. My grandmother had to move from her assisted living location to a place with more services for advanced dementia, and the move happened today. I had originally not planned to come back for it since there were several other people around to help and she didn't have that much stuff to move....but my good inner midwesterner won out over my desire to stay in Denver and play with my house. So on Monday I ended up booking a flight, and I flew in last night (after a four-hour training at work, which meant I couldn't get to Iowa before 8pm).

[censored] picked me up in Des Moines last night, and we had a late-ish dinner at Johnny's, where I made a valiant attempt to drink exactly the right amount of pinot noir to make me forget how much work I need to do while also forgetting why I had come to Iowa. I failed. Then we came home, I got about as much sleep as possible, and then the fun began.

[editor's note: it wasn't really very much fun]

My dad had the thankless task of driving Gram around for a few hours while the rest of us packed up the stuff that needed to go to her new facility, driving it over to Centerville, unloading it, and setting it up in an attempt to make it feel as familiar to her as possible when she walked in. This, of course, was not entirely successful. I mean, we succeeded in our side of the attempt, but Gram will be confused for awhile. Aunt Becky, Uncle Brian, [censored] and I did all the loading and unloading (and I discovered that I perhaps should be a pro mover, since I can stand up to full height inside a small u-haul trailer). And while we were over in Centerville unloading, my mom and Aunt Kathy took care of cleaning out a lot of the old place.

So, this all took many hours, but it went about as well as it could have. I also discovered that my dad knows the location of every free popcorn option in the area, which is probably a quirk that I'm destined to acquire as well since love of popcorn (especially stale, free popcorn) was one of my grandfather's traits as well and seems to be genetic. We eventually all reconvened in our town to do some more clearing out of stuff (and divvying up a few things that needed to be divvied). The only person who missed out on the divvying was Drewbaby, but he has limited interest in Hummel figurines (or 'action figures', as he called them on the phone), so this was perhaps not his jam.

sssanyway, we eventually had supper at the Mexican restaurant in town, whose v. tasty fajitas (with bacon) and 20oz margarita went a long way toward restoring me. At that point Aunt B and Uncle B went back to Centerville to spend the night in a hotel, but Aunt Kathy came out here and is spending the night with us. So we spent some quality time telling stories around the kitchen bar, and we entertained a call from Drewbaby, who clearly felt like he was missing out on the fun [editor's note: judging by the fact that he'd been drinking and golfing, I doubt he really felt like he's missed out].

And now I should sleep - we have more work to do tomorrow, and I also have some day job stuff and/or writing that I should really take care of (chances that this will happen are slim). I'm headed back to Colorado Sunday morning, so this is a super quick trip - but I'm glad I came, or else I might not have had the pleasure of throwing away an entire drawer full of expired toiletries in varying degrees of grossness (#lucky). Goodnight!

sabotage

No blog tonight - I slogged all day, drove home, and slogged some more (with a break to pick up and eat some pizza, and another break to throw a few things into a bag for my weekend trip). So now sleep is more important than blogging - goodnight!

i was late for this, late for that, late for the love of my life

Work was brutal today. I did succeed in getting up in time to write a couple of pages before work, so that felt good...but it was all downhill from there. Things are actually theoretically going well with the day job - more responsibility, more visibility, more opportunities, etc., which usually means that something is going right. But today all felt like a bit too much. I had two different meetings about a major project, one of which resulted in me owning more than I want; one presentation to my boss, which needs to be revamped before next week; one presentation to my big boss, which went well; and a bunch of other meetings that don't need to be recounted here.

So, by the time my last meeting (with my boss, which went twenty minutes over) was done, I was totally wiped out. I was supposed to go to a networking dinner tonight, but I was so mentally exhausted that I couldn't handle the idea of talking to strangers for a few hours, so I bailed, ate dinner at Motomaki, and drove back to Denver. When I got here, I did a load of laundry, sat on the patio and talked to [censored], laid in bed with a hot compress over my eyes, and then drew out the storyboard for the revamped presentation. And then I did some solace shopping online, although that's really not a necessary or good way to manage my stress.

But tomorrow is another day. I'd like to get better at managing my energy, though - I genuinely like my job, it's just a bit much. That's not a problem I'll solve tonight, though, so it's time for bed. Goodnight!

i'd never seen you unkempt before

I actually wrote for a full hour before work, which felt amazing - it's been too long since I got that solid of a chunk of time before going into the office, since the last month has been a blur of packing and unpacking and a lot of meetings in between. I'm going to try to repeat the feat tomorrow, so even though it's only 9:30 I'm already in my pajamas and trying to wind down.

Of course, that was the beginning of the end of the goodness today - after that, I got ready and discovered that my bathroom faucet was dripping. This appears to be related to the hot water handle being slightly loose, so I just shut the water off to that side and moved on with my day - I didn't have time to call a plumber, and since I have three other bathroom sinks in the house I can do without hot water in that sink for a few days (unless one of you reading this has a different opinion about it). But yay homeownership, amirite?

Then I drove to work, slogged all day, didn't get nearly enough done, and left at 5:30 to have dinner with some of my coworkers. Someone is visiting from Mountain View (he'll get named on the blog eventually, but for now I'm waiting to find out if he's really a new peer of mine or if he's just here to spy on us and report back to my boss). If he is spying, I probably didn't acquit myself well, since I was in far too joke-y of a mood.

Then I got home, emptied the dishwasher, took care of a couple of things online, texted a bit with [censored] and [redacted]...and now I think I'll lie in bed until I'm ready to fall asleep. Goodnight!

who's gonna make my mistakes

I had a really lovely, quiet day, which makes me not want to go into the office at start the slog again tomorrow. I got quite a bit of sleep, then sat at my desk and journaled for a bit. I also restarted my subscription to Publishers Marketplace - I let it lapse last year because I was not writing (and depressed about not writing) and not interested in publishing news, but I decided to restart it as a symbolic gesture if nothing else. And I subscribed to a couple of design magazines on a whim, since their business model is so screwed up that their paper subscriptions are practically free compared to buying a single issue at a time in the grocery store.

After journaling and daydreaming, I walked down the street to the farmers' market - it was a really lovely day for it, since the heat broke yesterday and everything felt fresh again. I didn't buy produce or eggs since I won't be home most nights this week, but I bought some flowers for my desk, as well as some v. delicious nut butters made in Denver (I needed peanut butter, but they also sold me on some cinnamon almond butter that I would never normally try, but it was so delicious that I couldn't resist). I also bought a basket that is perfect for holding towels in my bedroom, which is great since the one thing my v. expensive house is missing (besides a fully detached fourth wall) is a linen closet.

Thus happy with my purchases, I came home, toasted some frozen waffles, and slathered them with the cinnamon almond butter and some strawberries. Then I spent the afternoon doing a variety of tings around the house. My guest room is now fully set up (yay!). I also unboxed the final piece of patio furniture, as well as the outdoor rug that I bought to go under it, and finished setting up my patio couch. I did some organization in my office, although it's not there yet. I nearly killed myself trying to lift my dresser to put levelers under the front feet - it was tilted just slightly forward and the drawers kept gliding out, and I was too lazy to empty the drawers before attempting to leveling feat, so it was super fucking heavy (but I succeeded!).

I also spent a lot of time on the phone with my parents; I texted a bit with [censored] and Andrew; I talked to Terry on the phone; I attempted to talk to Chandlord; and I would have talked to Veronica, but we agreed to take a rain check. I really probably should have done some day job stuff tonight, but by Sunday night I always forget whatever it was that was stressing me out on Friday, and I'd rather just wait to be surprised by it tomorrow rather than ruining the last bit of glow tonight.

But now I need to sleep - I'm determined to write before going to work, which means I probably should have gone to bed an hour ago. Goodnight!

no more shelter

My day started off with some socializing (well, actually it started off with mindlessly reading the news in bed, but that's neither here nor there). I met Alice (the one based here, not the one based in London) for brunch at Root Down, and it was rather delightful. Alice is on a leave of absence, so I haven't really talked to her much for a couple of months - but it was really great to see her and hear how things are going. We also had some really tasty food - we split an almond pancake that happened to be gluten free and was really delicious, and then I had the huevos rancheros (not as good as Tony's huevos, but I'll take them). We also split a tiramisu rice pudding that was a bit too weird for either of us, but at least I can say I tried something new.

So, it was great to see Alice, and we spent a couple of hours catching up. When we parted ways, I ran to the grocery store to get some staples (King Sooper rather than one of the fancy organic stores like Sprouts or Whole Foods, since the staples I needed were things like Coke Zero and iodized salt, which are far too low-brow and unhealthy for my usual stores). Then I came home and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening organizing things around the house.

I'd left my car on the street when I got home, but I'm glad that I looked up at some point and realized things were getting dark (in the middle of the afternoon) - I'd had all the blinds firmly closed since it was almost a hundred degrees yesterday, but I suddenly realized that it was about to storm. So I put my car in the garage just in time - we didn't get any major hail (although I saw a couple of suspicious lumps on my balcony), but we suddenly had brief, massive downpours and big lightning storms, and the temperature dropped twenty degrees. And my phone alerted me to a flash flood warning - so the weather here is interesting, to say the least.

At some point I made supper (a lemon garlic chicken recipe from the Barefoot Contessa + a greek salad, which was yummy), and I watched some tv while eating and messing around on the internet. I kind of lost steam at some point tonight, and I need to get my steam back since I have things I want to accomplish tomorrow (both writing related and day job related, as well as reconnecting with some people, checking out the local farmer's market, finishing my kitchen/living room, etc.) So I need to go to bed to do that - goodnight!

he he he

I stayed home from work today, but I still had to get up early - I ended up with a set of keys to the vanpool last night since Nina was going out of town, and someone else needed them, so I ended up meeting them at the van at 8:15. This was probably a good thing, since I would have stayed in bed as late as possible if I'd been left to my own devices.

When I got home, I did a bit of stuff around the house, and then settled in to work. I worked pretty steadily all day, although I took a break to finish putting my desk together (and almost killed myself flipping it over, since it weighs at least 150lbs when fully assembled). My desk is awesome, and I'm sitting at it now - I finally have my desktop mac unpacked, and my chair is in proper position, and I'm v. eager to finish the rest of my office so that I can start writing more steadily here.

However, I was a bit out of steam by the end of the day - I worked until almost 6:30, which is way later than I like to work on a Friday, and so I was pretty fried by the end. So I ate some tuna and some chips and dip (v. midwestern), watched an episode of Property Brothers, and then came upstairs with the intention of organizing my office. But other than setting up my computer and my lamp, and unpacking some mementos, I made very little progress.

That, however, can be rectified tomorrow - for now, it's time for bed!

i keep my hands to myself

Today was rather lovely, mostly because I decided at the last minute to skip an optional training that had been blocking people from scheduling three hours of meetings this morning. So I took the vanpool to work with Nina, and then had almost four hours to accomplish things. Of course, that turned into talking to people moreso than answering email - but the conversations were really good and #worthit, so that was great.

Then, I had lunch with a guy who has an evolution of the job I had on books four years ago - which was sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, but perhaps hopeful? And then I had a couple of hours of meetings that required actual thought before I met up with Nina and drove back to Denver.

When I got into town, I went to the grocery store (perhaps a mistake, since I was hungry and bought a random hodgepodge of cheeses, berries, some stuff for cobb salads AND greek salads, and also frozen gluten free waffles for a reason that sounded right at the time but now seems questionable, since I never buy frozen waffles). Then I came home, messed around the house a bit, took out the trash, etc.

At some point Lou, my old landlord / real estate agent, showed up - I'd offered to give him my evaporative cooler in exchange for some of the damage caused by my movers, and after he spent a few days sweltering in the townhouse he decided to take me up on it. So he came over to get it, and I conned him (aka asked him nicely) to carry the top of my desk up the stairs, since it's been sitting in my foyer for a couple of weeks and I couldn't do it myself. So we caught up for a bit, and he made me v. happy that I'm not in the real estate business (but also very happy that I bought my house).

Then I ate some frittata, and then I put together my desk - I'm not quite done, but it seems to be working. It's a standing desk, which I'm v. excited about - partially for the standing, and partially because it lowers farther than an average desk height, which is key for my ergonomics. And then I had to stop taking care of house stuff, since I had an hour-long call with some people in India and Tokyo, which is not the best way to end the night (even though I like them).

And now I should sleep - goodnight!

sage wisdom

Today was an endless string of meetings beginning at 8:30 and lasting until almost five. So, when I got home (after a commute that really wasn't that bad considering the road situation), I decided to do absolutely nothing. I guess I did some dishes, and I sent some personal emails... But other than that, I took a nap, ate some leftover stirfry, drank so rosé while sitting on my patio until it was almost dark and the mosquitoes started coming for me, and then painted my toenails and removed the gel from my fingers while watching an episode of Property Brothers.

So, this was a v necessary bit of relaxation in an otherwise crazy week. I'd like to keep pushing on unpacking and tidying and generally getting settled, but indulging in some sloth was much needed.

And now I need to go to bed - I've hit over a thousand unread emails at work, which is a lot even for me (but also not, apparently, an actual problem - I've now trained even my boss to message me rather than emailing me if she really needs something, when it would be totally appropriate for her to tell me to read my email like everyone else does....but if I read my email I wouldn't have time to do everything else I'm doing, so apparently she's going along with my complete deprioritization of email in the interest of letting me use my talents in better ways). So I need to get up and get cracking, but for now it's bedtime. Goodnight!

i think that i laughed at that

I had a dentist appointment today, and the dentist praised me for my excellent teeth, so at least I've got that going for me. They also found no evidence of damage caused by clenching my jaw, even though I feel like I clench my jaw - so the dentist recommended trying an over-the-counter mouth guard to see if it helps, rather than shelling out for a prescription one. He also recommended getting a new job, but if I got a new job I might not have such excellent dental insurance, so.....#conundrum.

ssssanyway. Today was a wee bit stressful, as many of my work days have been. But I made it to the office without any major headaches caused by the collapsed highway, so that was nice. I spent the morning slogging aggressively, then shoved potatoes in my mouth (they had potatoes gratin, which I can never pass up), then went to the dentist. After the dentist I drove home to beat traffic and took another three hours of meetings from here.

At that point I was beyond done, so I shoved more potatoes in my mouth (this time in the form of potato chips and some of the french onion dip that I smuggled back from Iowa - it really should be on some controlled substances list) while sitting on my new patio furniture and attempting to relax. The new patio furniture was so nice that I took a break later from unpacking my office and spent an hour drinking a glass of wine and writing a few pages of the new book while sitting outside. That felt pretty idyllic, so I think my decision to prioritize outdoor furniture made sense. I may feel differently when November rolls around, but for now it's good.

Eventually the fun stopped - I had a late meeting with some folks in India, and then I worked for the last ninety minutes. and now I need to sleep - goodnight!

a shimmering balance act

I apparently moved to Denver just in time for a total catastrophe - the crack in Highway 36 that developed at the end of last week is now a full-blown sinkhole collapse. Apparently that section of highway was built over a former lake or reservoir, and with the rain we've had recently it started to subside really badly. They still have no ETA for reopening it, although they're now diverting traffic so that the westbound section (which is closed) can use the inside shoulder + express lane of the eastbound section. This is going to make commuting very ugly for awhile, which may become my first regret about buying this house.

But that regret hasn't happened yet, so I'm going to stick with joy. I worked from home today due to the traffic issue, and it was really nice to work from home (even if I was working in my dining room in front of a v blank, v beige wall, which is not my style and does nothing for my vanity). I took a break at lunch to make a frittata, and I also made a stirfry tonight, so I have food to get me through the week if I work from home a couple more days. I have to go in tomorrow since I have a dentist appointment, but I'm hoping to alternate days in and out for awhile.

Also, it was good that I worked from home today because my patio furniture came early. One section was missing and I think they just failed to send it, but they're sending it now, so it should be all good. I got a comfy lounge-y sofa that I may like better than my indoor sofa, and I now just want to spend all my time on it. So I did a bit of work out on the patio in the late afternoon...and then of course it rained a bit, so I'm getting an earlier preview than I wanted of how well it dries. But I got sunbrella fabric that is supposed to dry quickly, and also got a model that has no external frame (i.e. metal or wood) that could get damaged by Colorado's incessant hail - so it should hold up well.

And now, after doing too much work and taking care of too many things around the house, it's time for bed. Goodnight!

struck me down

I spent the whole day doing a variety of house-related tasks - I'm still not settled, but I'm making progress. I did just about everything I could to organize the kitchen this morning, but I needed some storage bins, and I also needed to grab some other Target stuff, return a couple of things to the mall, and grab groceries. So I spent the afternoon over in the Cherry Creek area - the Target over there is perhaps the largest I've ever been in, so it took awhile to navigate. Then I returned stuff at the mall, which meant I also had to try stuff on (but I returned more than I bought, so it somehow still felt frugal even though it definitely wasn't frugal). Then I went to Whole Foods and stocked up on stuff to cook - but it's been so long since I've cooked anything of substance that it's possible I've forgotten how.

When I got home, I put my lawn chair on the patio and called my parents, who seemed to be doing well despite much stress over my grandmother. Then I spent the rest of the evening continuing to organize my kitchen - I probably should have done day job work, but sorting kitchen stuff was way more fun.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

typical story

I have internet! This is a v. exciting development. It's also clear that I never would have succeeded with self-installing since it took the tech almost an hour to get the internet and the tv to play nicely with each other and with me.

However, that required both getting up early and being housebound this morning - his window was from 8-10 and he showed up a little before nine, but that meant I had showered and gotten ready and was tackling the kitchen by the time he arrived. I got a bit of stuff around the house done, although it probably wasn't enough because I had plans.

First up was lunch with Laura, my director from many years ago who now lives in San Antonio. I hadn't seen her for two years, but she was in town and reached out to see if we could get together. She was with her husband (who I really like) and her son, who has moved to Colorado Springs. Her husband also has a daughter who lives in Denver, and they introduced us at the end of my visit - the daughter and her husband seem funny and nice too, so I may actually see if they want to get together sometime.

Anyway, I met Laura and family for lunch in my neighborhood (which they'd picked totally randomly, not knowing that I live here) at an Indian/Nepalese restaurant called Himchuli. I've been wanting to try it, and it exceeded expectations - the chicken makhani was excellent. After we caught up over food, Laura's son went back to their hotel, while Laura, Dave and I walked around and window shopped. This quickly turned into us deciding it was way too hot to window shop, so we went to Highlands Cork and Cafe, which is exactly my kind of place - they serve both coffee and alcohol in a shop that used to be a house, with a large outdoor patio and a v. relaxed vibe. I tried their sangria, which was delightful - so needless to say, both places we tried were winners.

It was fantastic to see Laura - I always enjoy seeing her, and I was v. happy to hear that they have more reasons to be out here and may end up buying a house here. Unfortunately, I had to leave shortly after Dave's daughter joined us - I had other plans tonight, and I had planned to run some errands before them, but instead I showered off the worst of my sweat and took a nap to cool down.

Then, I drove to Boulder (yes, that place) - my friend/coworker Morganne, whom I've known since 2008, recently bought a house and was having a housewarming party. I almost talked myself out of going since Hwy 36 is still closed (and will be closed for days - the big crack in it was caused by a slope issue and major subsidence, so the repair sounds not fun), but I rallied and went anyway. I had a fun time, mostly spent talking to Alice (who is on my team in BLD and is currently on a leave) and her boyfriend (who also works at our company in a different capacity). And Morganne's house is cozy and beautiful and made me jealous for being all set up. But my house will get there...it's just not there today.

Then I eventually came home and messed around in the luxury that is the internet, and now I need to sleep. Goodnight!

I found you, I found me

I am officially old because I'm excited to go to bed at 10:23 on a Friday. However, I deserve it - today was a slog. I didn't feel like getting up this morning, but I rallied and made it to the office by 8:45. I worked straight until four - I tried to leave at three, but got pulled into something. And as I was leaving, I heard news that there was a giant crack in US-36 (the highway from Boulder to Denver), which meant all eastbound lanes are closed all weekend as they attempt a repair. Since I was trying to go east, that was a problem.

But I found some alternate routes and made it home in an hour, which was way better than I expected given the situation. I then spent the whole evening dealing aggressively with house stuff. My first errand was Comcast - I had a lovely chat with a phone rep who ultimately couldn't help me, but she scheduled a tech to come out tomorrow morning. So since that's happening, I set up my tv so I can test it at the same time. Then I ordered a pizza, poured a glass of wine, and finished unpacking my kitchen. Finished might be too strong, but everything is out of boxes - now I just need to figure out how to organize it.

But that's a task for another day - for now, it's time for bed!

smoke on the water

I took a vanpool for the first time today, and overall it was a success. It didn't save me time, precisely - in fact, it was about the same or perhaps slightly longer than driving myself. But since it's free and I don't have to pay for gas, and also don't have to pay for the express lane pass (the express lane is the only way that I can do the commute in the same time as the vanpool, but that adds up if I do it both ways every day), and also don't have to drive, it seems like a win. Also, I like the people in my vanpool - I got invited to join a couple of people on my team (Kristen, who I'm friends with outside of work and who is Barbara's daughter; and Andy, who is hilarious and is partners with Nina, who works on a different team in our same company and is also hilarious). I resisted at first because I didn't want to harsh their mellow since I'm technically their boss (technically is perhaps misused there; I am their boss), but I think it will be good to do it at least a couple of days a week.

Unfortunately, the vanpool was the sum total of relaxing work things today; the rest of the day was a straight slog from 9 to 4:45 without any breaks, other than being fifteen minutes late to a meeting so that I had time to run downstairs and grab food. Each individual meeting was pretty good, but the sum total resulted in some stress. So when I got home, I unpacked several boxes in my kitchen (where I'm almost done), took out trash and recycling for tomorrow, and then walked down the street to grab enchiladas and a margarita to alleviate my stress. I successfully got my first comped drink in my new neighborhood (2.5 weeks in, with one week in Iowa) after I ran out the door to give the couple who'd been sitting next to me the phone charger that they'd left behind - so my talents for getting free drinks from bartenders remain intact despite my advancing age.

And now, after doing pretty much nothing for the last hour, it's time for bed - goodnight!

outside it starts to pour

Work was very work-y today. However, I escaped at 4:30 and drove back to Denver for happy hour/dinner with Katie. We went to Lola, our favorite Mexican place in her neighborhood; they remodeled last month, and now it has an updated, brighter, beachier coastal vibe. They also made their menu even more seafood-forward, which yielded perhaps too many octopus options. But the margaritas and guacamole are still great, and I had a v. tasty chicken taco, a couple of oysters (one raw, one baked), and some ceviche, and all of it was excellent.

Of course, the company was excellent too - I gave Katie a full update on Iowa, got some entertaining gossip from her, and then spent five minutes brainstorming a possible solution to the problem I'm having with my current book. I should have done that five minutes about two months ago, but coming up with a couple of great solutions now is better than nothing (and I'm very excited to implement them).

Then I came home, accidentally took a nap on my couch rather than unpacking, and ordered some outdoor furniture so I can accidentally take a nap outside in the future (note: I went Wayfair instead of the spendy set I was looking at from Room and Board, but outdoor furniture still isn't cheap if you want anything that won't rot or rust after a season). It should be here by the end of next week, so hopefully I can get the interior unpacked this weekend so I can start making plans to have people over.

Then, after doing a couple of other personal administrative things, I worked for the last couple of hours. And now I should really sleep - goodnight!

pinch me

The vacation glow is quickly wearing off - I could have used another week (or maybe a month). I had way too many meetings today, some of which felt like a waste of time, which always makes me surly. But I also had some meetings that I genuinely enjoyed, and I talked to some people I genuinely like, so in many ways my job could be so much worse.

But I was at the office for nine hours, and I did a couple of hours of work at home tonight, so it also could be better. I still don't have internet, despite half an hour attempting to contact Comcast tonight...but perhaps I'll resolve it tomorrow. I also didn't unpack anything when I got home - I was going to spend two hours doing house stuff before doing work stuff, but instead I ate leftover takeout and messed around on my phone (and tried to deal with Comcast). So now I need to sleep in hopes that I can pull off some work miracles tomorrow - goodnight!

i'd still sell my soul for a little bit of money and some self control

I had a long but good first day back at work after my vacation. I got up earlier than planned, got ready, and was in the office by 8:15, where I slogged straight until 5:15 (with a break around lunch to eat and talk to a couple of people). I then escaped to have a long, delightful happy hour with another Sara - we may be sussing each other out to be work spouses (ironic since her actual spouse works in our same building, but actual spouses aren't work spouses). So far so good - we nursed a glass of rosé for quite awhile and discussed a lot of hilarious things, so that was super fun.

When we were done, I dropped her back at her car, then grabbed food at Motomaki. That meant I didn't get back to Denver until nine p.m., at which point I was too tired to do anything of real value. So I put away some clothes, emptied the dishwasher, sent a couple of emails that couldn't wait any longer (sorry to those of you who are still waiting for a response), and am now going to go to bed so I can repeat these early-morning feats tomorrow. Goodnight!

television dreams of tomorrow

I'm back in Colorado, just in time to go to work tomorrow - although I really could have used another couple of days off to finish unpacking the bulk of my house. Today went as smoothly as it could have, though. The Best Western had a better bed than I was expecting given the room's overall odor situation, but I still didn't feel like lingering. So I got out of there around 8:15, got gas, and got on the road. The drive from North Platte to Denver is about three hours and forty-five minutes, and the time changes between North Platte and Ogallala - so with a bathroom break, I arrived at my place around 11:20am MDT.

That was early enough that I should have accomplished tons of stuff today, but you should not be surprised to learn that I wasn't maximally productive. I unloaded my car and then walked down the street to grab lunch - I had a carnitas hash that was only so-so, but I enjoyed wandering around the farmers' market that takes over part of 32nd St every Sunday during the summer. I caught the last little bit, so I bought nothing other than some eggs, but there were a wide variety of produce stands, meat producers, cheeses, florists, etc., as well as some other home goods and sundry objects. I'll have to go back next weekend when I'm a bit more settled and a bit more ready to cook in my kitchen.

When I got home, I did a bunch of laundry, took a nap on the guest bed for no reason other than it was there, and unpacked all of my books (12+ boxes, now shoved onto shelves even though they're nowhere close to organized). I also remade both the guest bed and my bed, called my parents, talked to Katie for a bit, and ordered and ate some tasty Indian takeout. I also wrote down a few notes about my book, which I thought about on the drive - but serious writing will have to wait until tomorrow.

And now, it's only 9pm here, but I need to organize my stuff for work tomorrow, fold the last load of clothes, and generally wind down for the night. Goodnight!

cruisin' down the freeway in the hot, hot sun

I'm in a hotel in North Platte that smells, rather unfortunately, like a hotel in Hyderabad...although the scent of mothballs is usually out of place in US hotels, which makes me wonder who or what died in here. My day started off without mothballs; I awoke in Iowa, took care of some stuff to prepare for my departure, hung out with my dad, showered, packed, loaded my car, are lunch, etc. By 1:30 or so I couldn't delay the inevitable any longer, so I said my farewells to my parents and [censored] and hit the road.

I stopped in Osceola for gas, then stopped somewhere east of Kearney (York?) to make a hotel reservation, use the bathroom, and buy a soda from a rather bizarre convenience store. Other than those stops, I powered through - fueled by caffeine and a heavy dose of nostalgia thanks to Sirius PopRocks, which was hosted by smashmouth this weekend and included tons of songs from my high school/college years. Of course, that led to a lot of pondering the fact that those years were two decades ago, which is nearly (but not quite) as depressing as this hotel room.

Sssanyway, I got to North Platte around 9:15, checked into my room, and then went to Applebee's to eat a late dinner. It turns out the Applebee's is way more happening (and slightly less depressing) than the Ruby Tuesday I usually go to when I'm in North Platte, so I think I'm a convert - although I realize it's slightly ridiculous that I have a regular restaurant in North Platte. However, an older man asked to borrow my phone, which was rather unusual - I don't think this was a ploy by a foreign power to steal my secrets, but you never know.

And now I need to sleep so I can get up and get on the road - goodnight! 

if you close your eyes

This was my last full day in ye olde Iowa for this trip...it felt like this trip went particularly fast. Today was a fittingly nonstop send-off - Aunt Kathy, Aunt Becky, and Uncle Brian all came down for the day, so we spent a lot of quality time together. They got here before lunch, so we hung out for a bit before eating. Lunch was great (and a bit of a repeat from yesterday) - brats and some super tasty hot dogs, potato salad, layered lettuce, deviled eggs, and baked beans.

After that, Aunt Kathy encouraged day drinking and I was too polite to deny her, so I mixed up some pretty tasty margaritas with the last of my limes. I ended up on the porch with Aunt Becky and one of the cats (Bright Eyes), who left half his fur on my shirt while insisting that I pet him, which resulted in me needing to change and take a Benadryl, but it was #worthit.

Aunt Becky and Brian left in the afternoon to see Gram and go back to Des Moines, but happily Kathy stuck around for supper (which was really lunch pt 2) before heading home. And I ended the evening by straightening up my room to accommodate the desk I brought back with me, and then discussing how to be a real estate mogul with [censored], who is probably more proficient with digging up info on the assessor's site than the assessor is. And now I need to sleep so I can head out sometime tomorrow - goodnight!

it's like a little prayer

I had a lovely day in which I didn't accomplish as much as I probably should have. However, I sorted through some boxes of stuff that had belonged to my grandparents - there were all sorts of treasures, including the manual and parts list for our five-gallon ice cream freezer (the manual was printed in 1923, which is not a typo - we really do save everything). There was also an ancient photo album with photos that included Uncle Walter in WWI (also not a typo), old Doc Duden (one of the early settlers in the county back in the 1800s), and a bunch of photos of my great-great-grandfather's generation.

But what do you do with such treasures? These people were mostly dead before my dad was born, and their names are slipping into dust. I did not remember this album existing before today, although I guess it used to be around Gram's house; if it had gotten tossed I wouldn't have mourned it. And yet now it feels wrong to get rid of it - so it went back in a box, to be dealt with on another day, perhaps by a lucky estate executor....

I spent a bit of time on the back porch writing, and I also got [censored] to help me unload the desk I brought back from Colorado. It was eventually suppertime, which was delightful... My dad smoked a pork butt over the course of the day, and my mom made potato salad and layered lettuce, and it was super yummy. We also played a game of Ticket to Ride, which ended so woefully that I won't share any further details. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

joy when you call me

I had a v. nice day in southern Iowa. My mom and I drove over to Centerville; she had a dentist appointment, so I wrote in the waiting room. Then we had lunch with my sister and one of my nieces - we went to the old hotel on the town square, which has a cute restaurant inside. It was nice to see them, as usual, and it was also nice to eat the homemade potato chips fresh from the fryer - those things are going to haunt my dreams.

After lunch, we parted ways, and my mom and I did some shopping in the grand metropolis before returning home. When we got here, I took a nap and then wrote some more on the back porch before we went out for dinner - we went to the Mexican place in town, which makes a v. v. tasty fajita and also makes 20oz margaritas that will knock you out if you aren't careful. When we got home, I sat around and kind of dozed off, but then [censored] arrived for the weekend, so I talked to him for a bit. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

i'mma be popping that bubbly

I didn't spend any time in my summer office today - it was already like ninety degrees when I went upstairs around 9:15am, and that was too hot to contemplate sitting outside. I had to do a few hours of day job stuff this morning, and then I spent the afternoon taking care of some stuff with my parents (mostly related to the v. famous Round Barn, with some other technical troubleshooting sprinkled in).

We ended up having ribeyes and baked potatoes for dinner, with strawberries and cream after (yum). I also tried making margaritas again - last night's attempt had too much cointreau, and tonight's attempt was a bit too lime-y. I think I'll get it right tomorrow, but my dad is being very generous in helping me to perfect my attempts. We also watched some fine CBS programming (NCIS, which somehow actually is fine despite being on air since before television actually began) and some mediocre CBS programming (Blood and Treasure, which is a summer replacement for a reason). And now I should sleep, since I have grand plans to leave the house tomorrow - goodnight!

criss-crossed in the wrong direction

I had a v lowkey day in Iowa, which was exactly what I needed. I spent the morning drinking iced coffee (the instant version, where I dump a packet of instant Starbucks in some cold water - I brought coffee to make real iced coffee and haven't done it yet). I also discussed economics and politics with my dad for several hours - as my grandmother used to say when I would ask her why she and granddad were fighting, "we weren't arguing, we were just discussing." Heh.

I did try to do some writing this afternoon from the back porch (aka my summer office), with mixed results - it's hard to get back into it after a couple of weeks of moving and ignoring it. But I threw in the towel to eat supper (bratwurst is one of my favorite things, so much so that I think I've convinced them to maybe make it twice this week), and then I made some margaritas and we watched some fine CBS programming. The innocent couple in Bull this week was so fucking dumb that I was rooting for them to get convicted just because they were stupid, but unfortunately the real bad guy was caught.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!