hey ho

I'm back in Denver - I had an entirely uneventful trip, but I'm exhausted and have a million things to do this weekend, so it's time for bed. Goodnight!

hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect

And just like that, my time down under is over.

I had a bit of a weird (and weirdly fabulous) time in Auckland - my Sydney event drained my energy down to the dregs, after weeks of running on near-empty (I just reread my blog to remind myself of my life, as I sometimes do, and remembered that the last five weeks contained going to Iowa to move my grandma; San Francisco for Subz’s birthday; [censored]’s visit to Denver, where we saw Billy Joel and did house repairs; a fun weekend full of #girlsnightout with Katie and other friends; a trip to Devil’s Thumb Ranch; and then a flight to Sydney). It’s no wonder I arrived in Auckland completely exhausted.

Luckily, Nalini is also a writer and so did not seem at all offended that my main desires were talking about books, drinking tea, eating, and sleeping. After I blogged last night, we hung out in her hot tub, which was a v. relaxing way to end the night. Then I got ten hours of sleep, which almost made me feel human by the time I woke up this morning. We had tea and breakfast after I woke up, and then I packed all my stuff and took a shower so that we could go out on the town.

We had a v laidback morning - Nalini, her sister Ashwini, and I went to the Domain, which is the main park in Auckland. They have a winter garden there, which is inside a Victorian-style hothouse - it was really gorgeous, and I discovered that they can grow snapdragons that are taller than I am (I want to learn this feat). Then we went over to the eastern side of the island and walked around for a bit near the water. Auckland reminds me a bit of Denver in terms of its pace, but the one thing Denver is lacking is water - so a few minutes by the ocean made me happy.

Then we went to the Mt Eden area, which apparently is full of hipsters, to have lunch - we went to Garden Shed, which feels like a garden shed since there is a lovely open patio in the back with enough glass/plastic covering it to keep it warm despite the fact that it’s winter here. They had yet another gluten-friendly menu, so we all had something tasty to eat. Then we walked around and stopped in at a romance bookshop - Nalini is famous here (and everywhere), so we chatted up the bookstore owner and I bought a book for the flight back.

After that, we picked up my bags from the house, and then Nalini and Ashwini dropped me off at the airport. I got here with plenty of time to spare, so I treated myself to a pair of sunglasses, then found the Air New Zealand lounge, where I’ve been journaling and drinking wine. We’re about to board, and I’m eager to be home - after a month of nonstop madness, I’m looking forward to a bit less madness (but, unfortunately, a bit more work).

See you on the other side, America!

i'm following the map that leads to you

I slept for ten hours last night, and it was glorious. It's only 9pm in Auckland, which is 7pm in Sydney, but I feel like I could go to bed right now - however, I probably won't for a bit, since Nalini suggested that we get in her hot tub first. Life is hard.

Today was great, though. I got tons of sleep, then got up in time to shower and have some tea before hitting the road. Nalini drove me and her sister to Waitoma, which is about three hours away - there are some massive limestone caves there, which are full of glowworms, so we explored that. When we got to Waitoma we had lunch first - NZ is full of gluten free options, so I had some v. delightful gluten free chicken tenders that may have been worth the flight here. Then we did a 45min cave tour. This included a float on a rowboat through the darkness, which was the best way to see the glowworms - they've lit up the cave and their light reflects on the water below. I learned a lot about them, including the likelihood that the larvae (the glowing stage) eat their ancestors. Fun.

So, the trip through the earth was lovely, and it was super nice of Nalini to make the trek. Then we drove back to Auckland and picked up some takeout so that we could have a relaxing night by the fire here. I had a tiny bit of day job stuff that I absolutely had to do, so I did that while Nalini did some writing work. And now it's time for either hot tub or bed - we're going to do a bit of shopping and walking tomorrow, and then I fly back to the states tomorrow night. Goodnight!

tell the driver make the radio play

I survived my trip to Sydney by the skin of my teeth - it was all amazing and the event went off without a hitch, but it also took every last one of my energy reserves. It required me to be on for at least sixteen hours a day, either wrangling/motivating/hanging out with internal people or doing the same for our guests. And because of the jetlag, I maybe got six hours of sleep a night.

Of course, last night was worse than that because it was the last night - so ten of us went out to find some fun. We started with a drink at Grandma's, which I loved; then we went to two more bars, which were both v cool. By the end I wouldn't say I was super drunk since I paced myself, but by the time I got back and packed it was 3am, which did not bode well for me and getting on my foot this morning.

But I made it (and ran into a few coworkers at the airport, all of whom were miserable) and slept the whole way. When I got here, my friend Nalini picked me up, and we spent the rest of the day hanging out. She also intro'd me to her local writer friends, so we had a great dinner tonight.

Now though I need to sleep - my deficit is overwhelming, to the point that I keep dropping the phone on my face because I'm falling sleep. More to come - goodnight!

because I come from a land of plenty

I've had an awesome couple of days in Sydney, even though it's been all work (which, because I love this aspect of my job, feels like all play). Yesterday was mostly preparation - we had meetings to get ready for the event, and some walkthroughs, and a bit of time to nap. The welcome reception was last night, and there was an amazing beatboxer from Australia's Got Talent who gave us an incredible performance. After the event, several of us had to meet to prep for a later event, which of course necessitated wine.

However, even though we were happily after partying in the hotel bar, I went to bed relatively early last night. I was supposed to get up at six for my preso, but I woke up at four and couldn't sleep. So it was a tough start, especially since I had to present to my VP's boss without the aid of my usual caffeine overdose.

But the preso went well, and I survived the immediate crash in energy levels that I expected. The rest of the day was fun, and we did a volunteer activity, had a great dinner, had some Aboriginal dancers with a digeridoo player, etc.

I could say more, but I'm falling asleep and can't stay awake and longer... So goodnight!

dancing queen

I'm too tired to write and I unfortunately have a major presentation (completely unrelated to the event) at 8am Sydney time tomorrow, so I'm going to bed right now. Bear with me and I'll post more tomorrow - goodnight!

I found a flower, it’s in my shoe and it is mine

Last night I was so tired that I laboriously spent twenty minutes trying to write a blog post on my phone, which was v difficult because i kept micro-sleeping, then waking up to discover that the sentence I'd typed was complete gibberish. Sadly, after all that effort, I wrote a post about my tiredness that was almost coherent....and then sent it to the wrong email address, so it didn't post here. Stupid.

But I had a delightful weekend in Sydney, thanks for asking! My flight to the other side of the world was uneventful - I barely slept, though, which is why I'm so wrecked. I did, however, read both the second and third books in NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy - she is the first person ever to win three Hugo awards (for best sci-fi novel), three years in a row, for the three books in a trilogy. And I totally get the hype. I absolutely loved the first book, which I read 3+ years ago, but hadn't read the rest of it because I wasn't sure I was ready to be emotionally devastated and I feared that that was where it was headed. As it turned out, I finished the series at the bar in the hotel while tears silently streamed down my face and fell on the table...but it wasn't quite as brutally sad as I'd anticipated, and I thought both the writing and the story were totally incredible.

So, that was most of the trip. I did spend a few hours walking around yesterday - I am staying in Darling Harbour, and I walked around the botanical garden, saw the opera house from a distance, etc. Last night I had dinner with my team at Anason, which is Turkish (and wonderful); we then went to a tiki bar because we had to, and the cocktails were good enough that I wished I could ignore my self-imposed professionalism and have another. But professionalism and sleep-deprivation won out, so I came home and was in bed by ten.

This morning was slow and lazy - I was awake for two hours in the middle of the night, so I slept in. I then spent an hour talking to my parents while drinking tea in the bar; after our conversation was over, I had lunch there while doing some writing/journaling.

That was pretty much the theme of the day - I should have done tourist stuff, but I was tired and wanted to get real stuff done. So I walked down Barangaroo Wharf, grabbed a coffee and watched the water, and then had a glass of wine while writing for another hour or two. Then I came back to the hotel, did a bit of work, related for a bit, and headed back to Barangaroo for a team dinner. Ten of us went to Malaya, which is Malaysian food, and it was shockingly fantastic - the flavors were fantastic, and the group was fun, so it was all a win.

But now I really need to sleep (and hope I stay asleep) - goodnight!

women glow and men chunder

Yes, I will likely quote "land down under" for the entirety of my trip. I'm such a stereotype.

sssanyway, I'm on my way to Sydney for a big event my team is responsible for. Today was a mad dash - I woke up at 6:45 and went nonstop to get ready. I hadn't packed and I also had to do a bunch of work, and also close up my house, so it was a bit of a mess. But I packed, did some work, went to some meetings, shoved some lunch in my mouth, took out the trash, and made it out the door on schedule. That gave me time in Denver to have more food at my beloved/loathed Cantina Grill before heading to LAX.

Luckily, I decided at the last minute to throw the contents of my backpack into a rolling carry-on - it feels silly since I also checked a suitcase, but my neck is grateful since it took at least forty minutes to walk across LAX to my gate. Also luckily, I have status on United, so I could get into the business lounge despite not flying business...so I had some rosé while sitting in a rooftop lounge and doing some more work. It was quite nice to get some fresh air before boarding my flight, which was pretty much the only good thing about going through LAX.

And now I'm on the plane, and ready for the next thirteen hours of my life. Auckland is next... Goodnight!

vegemite sandwich

I'm too tired and busy to blog - my stomach hurt all day, and I had a bunch of things to do that I did not get done, and I leave for Australia tomorrow. So this is all you're getting from me tonight - goodnight!

sun went down over pompeii

Sorry for not blogging last night - I was on a work retreat and didn't really feel like pulling out my phone at 1am after being disconnected for most of the day. We went up to Devil's Thumb Ranch, which is the same place we went last year, and it was pretty perfect. I drove up with Kristen, since we both get carsick and can't handle the bus through the mountains; we left my place around nine and were up there by eleven, which made for a relaxing day.

My only activity was a massage (rough life), and then I spent the rest of the day talking / drinking / eating / talking some more. The food wasn't nearly as good as it was last year, so I didn't really have enough to eat - but I definitely had enough to drink (mostly rosé). As per usual, I was part of the group that shut down the bar at the end of the night, and it was all very fun and entertaining and relaxing.

Unfortunately, today was the opposite of that - I had to drive home, and I really didn't feel all that well. Too many days of fun / overeating / #roséallday meant my body hit a wall, and my stomach has been hurting most of the afternoon/evening. So, I did a bit of work this afternoon, but I also napped. And I went out for pho for dinner even though it was 95 degrees out - chicken pho with rice noodles is about as close to chicken noodle soup as I can get in my gluten-free state, and it was the right kind of mild dish that my stomach needed.

And now that I've done some work for the last couple of hours, I really need to sleep - tomorrow I have to slog relentlessly so that I can come home and pack for Sydney. Goodnight!

i dream of a thousand shooters

I had a fairly productive day, all in all. When I woke up, last night's house guest had already seen herself out - but in my defense, she woke up and left before seven, and I set expectations last night that there was no way I was going to get up before then. So, I had the house to myself this morning. I made use of it by running to Starbucks for an iced coffee, then coming back and spending the morning taking care of a variety of tasks. I eventually left the house to run some errands, mostly around the Cherry Creek mall - I picked up yet more containers, as is my wont.

But after spending some quality time talking to my parents, and then running out to pick up takeout Indian food and put fuel in my car, I used those containers to organize my office stuff. I now have a pretty sweet setup with a cart and little mini containers for all my many office supplies, which alleviates the problem of having a snazzy minimalist standing desk that wasn't built for my addiction to washi tape.

And now I really need to sleep since I have many things to do tomorrow (most of which involve driving up to the mountains, getting a massage, and day drinking, with a bit of work thrown into the mix). Goodnight!

darling our disease is the same one as the trees

My house continues to delight, although there is so much that I want to do that I don't really feel relaxed here yet. I spent approximately six hours doing a bunch of stuff around the house (after I went to Starbucks to get some iced coffee as fuel) - mostly focused on my office, which is still a disaster. But I also tidied up downstairs, cleaned my bathrooms, changed the guest room sheets, etc - my friend Sara came over to spend the night (more on that later), so I had to get everything cleaned up for that.

I really wanted to keep pressing on with the house, but I had to stop around three to get a hair cut. I tried a new salon because they have Davines products (which I love almost as much as Aveda, and in some cases more). I liked my stylist overall and thought she did a great job with the instructions I have her, but I may have leaned in too much on my desire for messy beachy hair, because it has way more layers than I'm accustomed to. We'll see what it settles into tomorrow - it certainly feels nice, so hopefully it doesn't look too crazy after I sleep on it.

Sssanyway, after the haircut I came home, made the guest bed, put on makeup, and was ready just in time for Sara to arrive. She's a coworker-friend, but she and I seem committed to being friend-friends, so we had a dinner/sleepover to seal the deal. We went to Ash'kara, which is where I went with Katie on Thursday, and we were rather hilariously at the same table with the same server that I had on Thursday. The food was just as excellent, and Sara and I had a great time there. When we were finally done, we came back to my place and sat on the patio, discussing life and work and gossip until we were both too tired to continue the shenanigans.

So now I need to sleep - tomorrow is my last day to get house stuff done for what feels like weeks, so I feel a lot of pressure to succeed. Goodnight!

baby i know dreams tend to crumble at extremes

I was so far from #inittowinit this morning that it was almost laughable. I managed to get up in time to shower for my 8:15 meeting, but I was super tired and also my eyes have bothered me to the point that my comfort finally overcame my vanity and I worked from home while wearing glasses and no mascara. I know, you don't know how to recognize me either.

So I slogged all day, and it was a bit of an exercise in pain. But I was done at four and I took a nap, and then I got ready and walked toward downtown. I met up with Morgan and Sam for a bit of #girlsnightout - we had an amazing delicious dinner at Bar Dough, and then we had cocktails at Lady Jane's. All in all it was a fun night, so hopefully we do it again soon.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

your left hand's free

I had a day. Work felt v. onerous because I worked straight through, and I also spoke on a panel about 'grit' and what it means in the workplace. I may have confused some people (but delighted others) when I said that I'm from Iowa and so my first thought about 'grit' is that it's something you buy in a bag and feed to chickens so that they can digest their grain (see grit). But then I turned it into a metaphor about how grit is internal, and that internal component is what allows you to get through life without giving up. So I think it worked? The panel went well, at least, even if it took my lunch hour, which I usually block off for getting stuff done.

But I took the vanpool today, so I didn't have to drive, and I was also forced to leave early (how tragic). When I got to Denver, I met up with Katie and we had an extensive night out - we started with dinner at Ash'kara, which is an Israeli place that deserves every single bit of hype that it gets. The food was all incredible, and the vibe was fun, and it was overall so great. Of course, the drinks were good too, and we were high on life when we ended - so we decided to go across the street to Old Major for a nightcap. Katie's husband and girls are out of town, so we had no pressing reason to part - which meant we could go deep on career and family and life in a way that made my soul happy (even if I want to taser those who have wronged us).

And now I really need to sleep, since I have meetings alllll day tomorrow - goodnight!

in the city of palms

I'm tired and rather cranky - I did not feel particularly successful or sparkly at work today, and my evening was shot because I had a meeting from 6:30-7 and another from 8:30-9. But this stress is all in my head... Or at least mostly in my head. The director I met with tonight expressed sympathy because he has heard several times that my project is going to solve everything, which is patently not true...but the fact that he's not the first person to tell me this probably explains why my stress is abnormally high.

sssanyway, I did take a break to take a free cooking class at work - we made chicken souvlaki (basically chicken skewers) and tzatziki sauce, which is one of my favorite things to order at Mediterranean restaurants, and so I really wanted to do the class. There's a really nice demonstration kitchen in my building that I never take advantage of because I'm always in meetings, so it was great to take a break for it.

And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

flying like a cannonball

I really wasn't in it to win it this morning - I haven't been getting enough sleep and it's starting to affect me, so I'm going to bed as soon as I finish this. I tried writing this morning with marginal success, and then went to the office (also with marginal success). But I left at 5:15 to have happy hour with Vicky - she's another manager in the office who I don't work closely with, but we sensed that we could become friends, and so we finally got together outside the office. The verdict (at least on my side) is that we could definitely become friends, so hopefully we do this again sometime.

But after much talking over a glass of rosé at Pizzeria Locale, I dropped her off to get her bike, and then I grabbed food at Motomaki since we hadn't had pizza at Pizzeria Locale (what a waste). Then I drove back to Denver and was so tired when I got here that I took a twenty-minute nap, which is a bold move at 9pm. But I had a meeting at 9:30pm, so I really needed a bit of energy boost to get through it. And now that my meeting is over, it's time for bed - goodnight!

you could be my one regret, infinitely spiraling me down

Today was pretty good, although I really wanted a vacation from my vacation and so was not maximally productive. But I got up and wrote for a whole hour before work, which felt great. I then slogged all day, although not particularly well - my work phone is having a syncing issue and my laptop at some point decided to spontaneously install an update and shut itself down for thirty minutes, so I got a forced lunch break out of that tech failure.

I eventually left around 5:45, stopped at Container Store to pick up containers I ordered yesterday, came home, and put water on to boil before I'd even carried in all the stuff from my car. I cooked two ears of sweet corn that [censored] brought for me - there's only one ear left and it's unclear if I'll eat it, but these two were pretty tasty. Then I mostly procrastinated for a couple of hours to avoid doing a work task I didn't want to do - and when I finally buckled down to do it, it took twenty minutes. This is how these things always go.

And now I need to sleep so I can write again in the morning - goodnight!

rescue me

I should have gone to bed two hours ago to recover from all the fun of this weekend - but I have never actually been a morning person, despite my best attempts to force myself into it. You wouldn't know it by observing me today, though - I looked like one of those real adults, the ones with the lawn equipment and the organized basements and the stockpiles of lightbulbs. This was accomplished partially by my fourth trip to Home Depot in three days, where I bought a weed eater and a hedge trimmer. At this point even [censored] didn't want to go back to Home Depot again, so I accomplished this errand by myself.

But after that was completed, [censored] had no choice but to hang out. We spent part of the afternoon putting together the shelves that I bought for my basement - they look awesome and feel like overkill, since they are rated to hold 6000lbs and I'm currently using them for empty boxes. But I intend to move files, books, dry goods, etc. down there over the next few weeks, and these will be perfect for that. We (and I mostly mean [censored]) also rehung the door to my laundry room, and then [censored] graciously gave me a demonstration in weed eating and hedge trimming with the massive patch of weeds that sprung up in the alleyway around my garage in the last few weeks when I wasn't looking.

So, my house is coming together. There is still a lot I want to do, and I have a major quandary in terms of deciding whether the front room should be a dining room (the current configuration), or a living room / tv room (the configuration the previous owners used). That kind of needs to be resolved before I make any more furniture purchases. But all in all I'm happy with the space, and I'm looking forward to decorating now that some of the biggest pieces of move-in work are out of the way.

Sadly, [censored] bailed on me after the weed extravaganza - he has to work Tuesday, so it was time to start heading back to ye olde Iowa. Before he left, we had an early dinner at FNG - they have some smothered tater tots that are reminiscent of poutine, which [censored] and I split to much happiness. Then I had a burger and [censored] had mac and cheese, and there was much rejoicing.

But all good things end, and so [censored] headed east. It's unclear whether [censored] counts this weekend as a good thing, or whether it should be considered forced labor instead - but I'm going to pretend [censored] was on board with a manual labor vacation. I'm also going to pretend that [censored] didn't say that my possible future death is now of grave concern...not because [censored] would miss me, but because this weekend made it clear how much stuff an estate executor will have to deal with. #hoardingDNA

sssanyway, [censored] left, and then I spent an hour and a half on the phone with the parents while enjoying the evening on my patio. And then I spent the last few hours taking care of things that were piling up (and ordering more storage solutions, because #hoarding). And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

allegedly

Thanks almost entirely to [censored], we accomplished a ton of house stuff today. I woke up around eight and couldn't hear him moving around, so assumed he was asleep - and so, like a good host, I stayed in bed to avoid waking him. However, it turns up [censored] woke up at 6:45, and spent some quality time alone in the basement changing my lightbulbs. Ha.

So, we spent the morning doing some stuff around the house, such as rearranging the basement and exploring my doorbell setup. I then ran to buy groceries for tonight, and then [censored] and I grabbed lunch at Chipotle before beginning another shopping spree. We ended up going to Home Depot, Costco, a farm/garden supply store, and back to Home Depot - that means I've made three Home Depot trips in two days, which is more than I would typically make in two years of renting.

sssanyway, when we got back to the house, I had to cook - I made a lemon cake, roasted a bunch of tomatoes low and slow for a caprese salad, and prepped some lemony roasted chicken to go along with it. While I was being that kind of domestic, [censored] exhibited his mechanical prowess by swapping out my garage door lock for a keypad lock, and also installing my new Nest Hello doorbell camera. I'm particularly excited about the doorbell camera - it's nice to see who shows up and have a bit of a record of what's happening, and it was pretty cool that [censored] could do it (it involves wiring, and knowing where your transformers and other tings are, so it was beyond my skillset).

Just as I was sliding the chicken into the oven, Katie arrived - it's her birthday (happy birthday!) and James and the girls went out of town this afternoon, so she was footloose and fancy free (or, more likely, looking for companionship). She brought over stuff for mojitos, so we had quite the feast - [censored] brought sweet corn from Iowa, and between that, the tomato/mozzarella salad, and the chicken, no one walked away hungry.

We then spent a perfectly idyllic evening on my back patio, which is a truly joyful place to hang out. I also lit a bunch of candles on the lemon cake in honor of Katie's birthday. And then, when the party was finally over, Katie left and [censored] and I watched another couple of episodes of Letterkenny. And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

pitter patter

This morning started off a little rough, because I accidentally called Priyanka at 7am her time while trying to edit her contact info (since for some reason I woke up and remember that I still had their old address in my contact list). She answered immediately, no doubt assuming something terrible had happened for me to be calling at 7am - so that was awkward. But I netted a podcast recommendation out of it, so I suppose that was #worthit?

But the rest of the day was smooth sailing. [censored] and I mostly messed around the house in the morning, and then we decided to grab lunch at Matador. Happily, Katie was able to join us, so we spent some quality time catching up over chips and tacos (my tacos were particularly excellent, so I'll have to have them again someday). Then we all came back to my place - Katie was looking for a quiet place to work, so she hung out here while [censored] and I ran house errands.

This mostly meant Home Depot, where I accomplished more saving and more doing (and more spending) - we got supplies to fix my leaking bathroom faucet, as well as some pruning equipment and lightbulbs and a rubber mallet and some other supplies. We also checked out Costco, where we picked up some shelves for my basement. When we got home, [censored] was able to mostly fix the leaking faucet (I am v. impressed by his skills, although I'm a little nervous because we didn't agree to an hourly rate in advance).

Then we probably should have continued to do house stuff, but we're both on vacation - so instead, I ordered some truly excellent Chinese delivery, and we watched a season and a half of Letterkenny (a Canadian comedy on Hulu that is somehow both incredibly dumb and totally hilarious). And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

there are giants out there in the canyons

I had an awesome day despite not getting enough sleep to kick it off. I rolled out of bed perilously close to 7:40am, which only gave me twenty minutes to shower and put on some foundation (and some clothes, I guess) before an 8am meeting. And then I slogged pretty much straight until 1:30, at which point I shut my laptop and greeted [censored].

[censored] is visiting me for the weekend - we had grand plans tonight, and then I intend to con him into doing house stuff. We started off with a tour of my house, and then we grabbed a late lunch at The Universal, which I usually don't go to because it's often packed. It happens to not be packed fifteen minutes before closing, and so I had my usual pork green chili with grits, and [censored] had a delish-looking breakfast with sausage and eggs and a biscuit with gravy.

This, it turns out, was perhaps too much food for the time of day, since we had dinner reservations approximately 2.5hrs later. But we came home first, and I took a v. quick nap to restore myself before getting ready. Around five we took an uber downtown - I'd made a 5:15 reservation at a pizza place near Coors Field since I knew it would be a pre-concert shitshow around there, and I'm glad I made the reservation since they were definitely turning people away. We went to Marco's Coal-Fired, which turned out v. tasty - surprisingly, the lemony chicken wings that we shared as a starter were the best thing I've had for at least a couple of days (but I can't say for a week, since everything is still in competition with Lazy Bear).

After that, we walked to the stadium and hung out on the rooftop a bit before finding our seats. The weather was looking *super* ominous, and it rained a little bit while we were under cover on the rooftop - but it turned out that this was all perfect, since we didn't really get wet and it was way cooler than it has been. So we found our seats (on the field, about thirty rows back, but off to the side) and settled in.

The concert was Billy Joel, and I am super glad that we got the chance to see him live. He's incredibly talented with a very deep catalog, and he played a whole bunch of our favorites (and some songs we didn't expect to hear). There was an unexpected graphic of 'children of thalidomide' during 'We Didn't Start the Fire' that I probably could have lived without, but otherwise it was pretty much perfect. If I could be that creating and productive (and rich) at seventy, I'd feel pretty good.

Then we caught an uber home, after a bit of an ordeal (but not as bad an ordeal as I was expecting). And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

found myself in a conversation

I spent the day working, which should surprise no one. But I left at 5:30 and made a Target run - I needed a bath mat for the guest bathroom, along with some other items, and there was no better time to make it happen like the last possible moment before my first guest. So I accomplished the Target run, then washed my car (so that [censored[ doesn't judge the fact that I still had gravel dust on it from my trip home on the 4th of July), then came home and did a couple of hours of stuff around the house. I'm discovering the slight annoyances that I knew I would eventually discover, like the fact that there is no good place in the kitchen for a trash can, or that there are no drawers in the guest bathroom vanity. But these are minor things, and the rest of the house is still wonderful, so #noregrets.

So I did a bunch of house stuff, and then spent a bit of time procrastinating / doing a tiny bit of work stuff. And now I really need to sleep - I've got meetings pretty much straight from 8am to 2pm, and [censored] is showing up at some point, and then we have epic weekend plans. Goodnight!

don't tell me i lost a step

Today was long - I wrote a bit before work, showered, barely made it to the office in time (but succeeded), and then slogged until 5:45. Then I ran an errand at the mall (returning all the dresses I bought for Subz's birthday party, since I only kept one of the eight that I ordered), grabbed dinner at Motomaki, and drove home. On the way, I talked to [censored] - he's on his way out here this weekend, so we had to coordinate some last-minute logistics.

When I got home, I spent a bit of time organizing tings, putting away clothes, etc. And then, unfortunately, I worked for the last two hours. Contrary to popular belief, I don't work all the time - but between moving, writing, friends, family, and work, the combination of everything is resulting in a wee bit of stress (and way more stress than any individual issue would cause). But I'm getting settled enough that I'm not quite as stressed about house/moving stuff - which means catching up on some lingering work stuff now is a good use of time, as that may decrease my overall stress load if I'm not bogged down by remembering everything I haven't done.

But my laptop battery is about to die and my personal body battery is also about to die, so it's time for bed. Goodnight!

hold tight london

I awoke this morning completely not in the mood to get out of bed, and so I put it off far longer than intended. When I finally got ready, I could have made it out the door by 8:20ish...but that put me at risk of being ten minutes late for my first meeting. So, I decided at the last minute (like, when the keys were in my hand) to work from home today.

This was probably a wise move - my mood didn't really get better, so working from home spared others (I'm so altruistic). But I did take a nice break to talk to Alana, who has read my blog for a long time (which meant she knew way more about me than I knew about her, although we attempted to rectify that). And when I was done with meetings for the day I took a quick nap, which was v. restorative - I think most of my mood was due to not getting enough sleep the last couple of weeks.

After that, I did some stuff around the house, ate some food, journaled, took care of some personal tasks, etc. And I spent the last couple of hours clearing out work email - I'm down to about seventy, not all which require a response, but it's way better than the 1500+ that were lurking. I archived most of them without reading, but it was v. freeing to go through and get rid of all the stuff that had stopped mattering or that got discussed in other contexts. I'm usually pretty good about cherry-picking the stuff I have to know...and it's really interesting to see how little the rest of it really matters.

sssanyway. Now I should go to bed, and you should read this awesome Twitter thread from a baker/scientist who harvested some 4500-year-old yeast from Egyptian pottery and made bread with it. If the apocalypse starts now, we know why. Goodnight!

point my eyes in the right direction

I'm back in Denver after a v. fun weekend in San Francisco. Last night's dinner was truly incredible - while I wasn't drunk when I wrote my post last night, I was way too tired (and trying to type on my phone) to do it justice. Lazy Bear has two Michelin stars, which is kind of a big deal, and they seem v. much deserved.

The detail that shocked me the most was how they handled my gluten issues. When Subz, Nathan, Terry and I got there, we checked in so they knew who we were - and joined the other ~30 attendees whom Lauren and Nathan had invited, since they booked out the first seating that night for our party. There was a cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres and champagne (and cocktails, if you so desired, which I definitely did). And somehow, in the midst of those people, wait staff kept coming up to me, greeting me by name, and giving me a gluten-free version of whatever appetizers were being passed. It was so surprising and wonderful, and just the start of pretty impeccable service.

The appetizers were all amazing - my favorite was this whipped egg with bacon fat that was served in a perfectly decapitated eggshell, but my other favorite may have been the lamb tartare (I don't even like lamb, and yet this was amazing). And I somehow even liked the duck liver with cherry reduction, which sounds disgusting and yet was somehow good?

After the appetizers, and after Nathan gave a toast, and after Lauren's brother and sister toasted her, we went downstairs for dinner. Terry was the only person I knew well (other than Lauren and Nathan, of course), but luckily I was seated across from her and next to two women whom I'd met at previous Lauren functions (both of whom I liked). So we had a pretty grand time at that end of the table. Every course was delicious - there was a melon dish that was great, some excellent tomatoes, a salmon with roe on top that was to die for, and a baked oyster that was even better. And the wine pairings through all of this were incredible. They had a 1992 bottle of a Ridge wine that I really love, but I've only ever had the bottles that are available in store and came out in the last few years (and are therefore reasonably priced) - I've never had one that has aged for that long, and it was perfect.

So, my night at Lazy Bear was pretty wonderful. I didn't get to hang out with Lauren as much as I would have liked, but I spent an hour with her and Terry while Lauren was getting ready, and we shared a car over, and then a smaller group of us went to a concert at Swedish American Hall and hung out for a bit longer. But I had to bail by elevenish, since I was falling asleep on my feet.

This morning I was rather leisurely getting up, and then met Terry for breakfast - she graciously came back to my hotel so that we could grab something before I had to leave for the airport. The hotel breakfast was nice (smoked salmon and poached eggs on top of an avocado), but nothing can top Lazy Bear for awhile. It was great to see Terry and catch up more substantively this morning, and she went back up to my room to watch me pack so we didn't have to say our goodbyes until the very end.

Then I retrieved my rental car, drove to the airport, grabbed some iced coffee, and spent the plane ride mostly napping / trying not to nap / not accomplishing anything. I was too tired today to be useful. When I got home, I ordered a pizza, called my parents while waiting for it, ate my pizza, watched some Property Brothers, took a nap, and then opened my work laptop and spent 60-90mins writing a rec for someone for business school (which is not what I wanted to do tonight, but I also don't want to be responsible for crushing their dreams - or, at least, I don't want to be responsible for crushing this particular dream).

And now I need to go to bed so I can wake up and seize the day - goodnight!

secretly canadian

I had a perfect day in the city of sin, and so I'm simultaneously extremely homesick for my life here and also extremely eager to get back to Denver and my house and my life. I had intended to spend the morning socializing, but I instead decided to practice some self care since it feels like I haven't taken a break in forever.

That meant making a nine am appointment at my favorite nail salon for a mani/pedi - I talked to the owner off and on throughout, and she always seems happy to see me even though I'm certainly no longer a regular. Then I went to Hayes Valley to window shop (and shop shop), where I took a break for a margarita to encourage my laziness.

I then came back to the hotel and took a nap, then went to Drybar for a blowout - this is something I never do since my hair doesn't really need a blowout, but my room hair dryer was missing and a decided that was a sign.

And then I spent the night celebrating Lauren's (aka Subz's) birthday. We went to Lazy Bear, which has two Michelin stars and completely surpassed the hype. It was one of the more decadent meals I have had in awhile... Perhaps tomorrow night I'll have the energy to explain. But right now it's time for bed - goodnight!

mofart

I'm beyond tired, but my day in the city of sin was #worthit. I woke up in Veronica's house, got ready, and survived the drive to the other side of the city (literally - she lives on Ocean Beach, and my office and hotel are on the bay). It shouldn't take forty minutes to go seven miles, but that's San Francisco. My day was relatively chill - I didn't have any strenuous meetings, and I caught up with a couple of old co-workers, and I had lunch with Chris, which is always great.

I also succeeded at leaving around five, checking in to my hotel, and changing before pursuing better plans. First up was the Ferry Building - I had a drink and some fries with Katrina, who was in fine form. And then I went to Adit and Priyanka's, where Adit ordered a late thai dinner that almost burned my face off (not the adventure I would choose, to be honest).

Sssanyway, we hung out and caught up rather delightfully. At some point Chandlord showed up, which made for even more fun. And when it became clear that we were all tired and Latin America Club's cheap, dangerous margaritas weren't in our future. Hopefully you'll forgive me for going to bed now - goodnight!

I'm a sucker for you

I have returned to the city of sin, and the cool fog of a San Francisco summer still feels like home even after 2.5 years away. I spent the day in the south bay, where it was warm and sunny and appropriate for my sundress, but I drove up to the city tonight to hang out with Veronica. V and I were long overdue for some quality time together, which we accomplished - she fed me rosé and palak paneer, and we chatted about the cliffs notes version of everything that has happened since we last saw each other (which was a lot).

But 11pm here is midnight in Colorado, and I finally couldn't keep up any longer. So even though my soul is eager, my body knows it's time for bed. Goodnight!