starting from zero got nothing to lose

Today was the last day of my week of working from Iowa....which means vacation starts now! Of course, I had a ton to do before I left, so I got up around 7:30, showered, made some coffee, and then slogged from 9ish until after six. It was a constant slog, too - I didn't have as many meetings as I did the last couple of days, but I had a million things to cross off my to-do list, so I had to stay buckled down.

But, I got to the point where I felt comfortable calling it, so I guess I'm on vacation. Of course there are still a few things I want to try to do this weekend before being off-off, but they're minor and won't take much time. And then I can slide straight into writing / family stuff / Iowa stuff for a few weeks, which will be delightful.

When I finished working, it was just in time for supper - my mom made a ribeye roast (similar to prime rib) and corn on the cob and layered lettuce, and it was perfect. We had some drama after dinner involving a raccoon and a kitten, but everyone who was meant to survive is still alive, so I guess it wasn't that much drama after all. Then I hung out in the kitchen and inadvertently got into a political discussion with my parents, but we went to our corners after eleven, so I've been unwinding / taking care of some tiny bits of work stuff since then.

And now it's time for bed - I want to spend some time tomorrow thinking about how to maximize my vacation, or at least how to effectively annoy [censored]. Goodnight!