what kind of words would cut through the clutter of the whirlwind of these days?

Today was great, even if I did wake up too tired and mildly hungover. I drank a bunch of water and swapped my morning iced coffee for a coke zero, since carbonation is preferred in hangover land. Then I took a quick shower and had a quick writing date with Veronica - I was not feeling particularly in it to win it, and the words were molasses-y, but I plotted out the next scene and was happy with that. And, of course, I'm always happy to see Veronica, even if it did result in me reading up on the history of Roman Britain (which is most definitely research for her book and not mine).

After we were done, I swapped the sweats for a sundress and then threw some chicken in a pot to poach (note: I did not poach the chickens from my neighbors, although I'm tempted). Barbara came up from the Springs for a socially distanced afternoon, and so we sat on my back patio for over three delightful hours and discussed life, writing, more life, the world, how much coronavirus sucks, etc. We also had lunch - I made some quinoa tabbouleh yesterday for today's lunch, and it was pretty perfect (esp with chicken and tzatziki on top). And we moved around the patio as the sun shifted - after this summer I'm more tan than I think I've ever been (at least my arms; my legs still look like stunted trees in a blizzard).

There was a bit of an interruption in our lunch because I'd hired a guy to come and mount my TV, which I hadn't done because I didn't really want to mount my TV. But the previous owner had cut a hole through the wall for an electrical outlet behind where the TV should be mounted, which would always be visible if I didn't mount the TV, so I finally bit the bullet and did it. I think it's a little higher than I would have mounted it personally, but it was preferable to use the previous owner's mount rather than redoing everything. And now my wall looks nice and all the cords are hidden, so that's a good outcome.

sssanyway, it was great to see Barbara - it almost felt like a normal non-coronavirus afternoon, even if she arrived and departed with the ghost of a hug. I don't know what winter will feel like when socially distanced afternoons on the patio are no longer comfortable, but I'm trying not to get anxious before it actually happens (and then, I promise, I will be really fucking anxious).

After Barbara left, I tidied up the kitchen and then spent a couple of hours talking to Sara (a coworker who is mostly just a friend at this point). Then I ate supper (leftover chicken chile verde) and took a walk around the neighborhood while listening to a writing podcast. And then I sat on my couch and did absolutely nothing, which I suppose I will take.

And now I'm going to sign off and either journal, read, or watch TV - goodnight!