players only love you when they're playing

No blog tonight - I didn't sleep well last night, and I woke up groggy and tired. But I wrote for thirty minutes before work, which is better than nothing. Then I slogged all day, with a short break around three to take a nap and a walk; that move was enough to keep me going until 6:15, when I was finally able to stop. I then spent the evening making chickpea stew, chatting with Katie, cleaning, examining some plants that I'd ordered, reading a design magazine, etc.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

you vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched

Today was something. I woke up and was luxuriating in bed when I got an automated phone call that the guy who was going to install my new bedroom blind was going to be here at 8am, which was 30min earlier than the 2hr window in which he was supposed to arrive. So I sped through the shower and got my coffee going just in time for his arrival. I'm pretty excited about this new blind - as I think I've said before, the previous owner was a masochist who liked to wake up at dawn, while I prefer much more civilized hours (like ten a.m., when I'm not being a corporate whore). So I replaced his spendy mesh shade with an equally-spendy blackout shade, and now all is right with the world (or at least all is right with my bedroom).

I managed to do a bit of writing this morning before the chaos started in earnest, which was great. Work was a bit crazy, but nothing totally unusual - as I said to someone today, my whole job is putting out fires, and in my spare time I coach people to try to keep fires from starting. I was able to knock off around five, and then I made a somewhat elaborate dinner - I made a garlic chile shrimp + coconut rice from the Burma Superstar cookbook. I didn't instagram it yet because I didn't feel like doing it tonight, but it was pretty tasty - and it was only elaborate because it involved peeling two whole heads of garlic for the shrimp sauce. If I make this or the beef/potato curry again, I would be tempted to buy the pre-peeled garlic cloves from Whole Foods, because the garlic prep was the most involved part of both dishes.

Anyway, the shrimp turned out great (and really fast if you already have the garlic paste - which I do now, because the recipe for the paste is a double batch, so I have enough for another batch in my fridge). And the coconut rice is one of the best things ever. I then drank most of a bottle of v. expensive wine and watched the debate, which went about how I expected it to, but I will spare the sensitive feelings of some of my readers and not share my thoughts. Then I read a kitchen remodel magazine to decompress, and now I'm going to bed - goodnight!

the cloud is moving nearer still, aurora borealis comes in view

I worked a lot today, so I have nothing interesting to share with you. I did meditate this morning, and I spent some quality time planning out my week, so I guess that's good. I made a v. tasty tuna sandwich for lunch, and I took a walk sometime this afternoon (and talked to Terry while walking, which is the benefit of different time zones). When I was done with work, I chatted with [censored] for quite awhile, since we hadn't caught up in a week or so.

Then I reheated the curry that I made last night, and it was even better tonight - it's really insanely good (basically just a beef and potato stew with a different flavor profile). I took care of a few tings around the house, tidied up my 'office' (aka dining room), etc. And I took a nap, because why not. But then I had procrastinated long enough on something I've been trying to do for work for awhile, so I finally buckled down and worked for two hours and pushed through it.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

with auburn hair and tawny eyes, the kind of eyes that hypnotize me through

I had a pretty lazy day....or rather, I got quite a bit done, but it was all in service of the goal of making a curry, which took hours of effort. Luckily it was one of the tastiest things I've made in quarantine, and I would actually 100% make it again, so no regrets there.

I got up slightly later than planned this morning, and I bummed around the kitchen making coffee and cleaning up and meditating. I also made a grocery list - while I'd gotten most of what I needed at the Korean grocery store the other night, their dairy section wasn't up to the task for what I required, and I had also forgotten to get lemongrass for the thing I wanted to make today. So I cut up the beef for tonight's curry and covered it in paprika/turmeric/salt to marinate, and then I showered, took care of some tings, ate some leftover frittata, and ran to the grocery store (with a stop at the carwash, and an abortive attempt to return something to Nordstrom Rack before I realized that I had no desire to stand in any sort of line that wasn't distancing).

After the grocery store, I came home, put tings away, and then made a beef and potato curry. You can see it on zee romance blog - it wasn't hard at all, but it involved dicing a lot of onion and mincing almost two full heads of garlic, which is time consuming. It also needed to simmer for at least ninety minutes, and then another thirty after adding the potatoes, so it really took quite a long time.

But I got to talk to my parents for quite awhile while I was occasionally stirring the curry. And the end result, as i said, was excellent - would definitely make again.

And now, it's time to head toward bed so that I can write in the morning before work. Goodnight!

heat waves been faking me out

Today was more social interaction than I feel like I've had in ages, even though it was probably less when compared to the endless time I spend in meetings. I got up around eight, puttered around my kitchen, and made a v. tasty frittata for breakfast for the next few days. Then I showered and sped (or crawled - construction was terrible) down to my friend Barbara's house. I hadn't seen her in a few weeks, so it was indescribably delightful to get together with a writer friend. We socially distanced in her backyard and eventually ordered lunch, all while talking about a wide variety of topics, and I could have stayed twice as long. And I left with some irises she'd dug up for me to plant, so I need to block out some time to indulge my green thumb soon.

Then I drove home, and as soon as I got here I had a video call with the friendship renewal crew (Joann, Jen, and Jane). I was 30min late due to traffic, which then made it awkward that I had to drop off early - we were going deep on a variety of topics, but Katie came over and I had to bounce.

So, Katie and I hung out in my backyard for a few yours, and it was perfect. There's something v. lucky about having a close adult friend who knew you throughout childhood, and we def went deep on Iowa tonight. We also ordered Indian takout, drank boulevardiers, and daydreamed about the fire pit I plan to install in my back yard.

But now, I'm falling asleep (and have been for awhile), so it's time for bed - goodnight!

only got bad things on my mind when i'm with you

Work was surprisingly stressful today; Fridays are usually pretty chill, but I had meetings all day and was trying to prep stuff for more meetings, and I had to present to a couple of VPs, etc., etc. So, it was not exactly the calm end of the week that I wanted...but the presentation went well, so I guess it could be worse.

As soon as I was done with meetings, I made a run to H Mart up in Westminster. I'm feeling eager to get back into cooking ridiculously elaborate meals that are too much for one person (but perfect for instagram), and I want to go deeper into the Burma Superstar cookbook (among others). H Mart is a Korean grocery chain and I didn't realize they were in Colorado, but I'm glad I found them. It was kind of a trick to find everything on my list because I didn't know the store layout, I didn't know what some of the jars and bottles and things would look like or what section they might be in, and many things were imported and so occasionally not in English. But it was pretty fun to explore, they had a ton of produce for way cheaper than Whole Foods, I did finally find pickled green mango, I saw more variants of rice noodle than I realized were possible, and all in all it was delightful. And now I know where I can get gallon jugs of beef blood if I ever need it (I don't). It also wasn't very crowded at 5pm on a Friday, which is good to know.

Of course, by the time I got home, I didn't have time to start an elaborate recipe. So I put my groceries away and ate leftover chicken and wild rice soup instead. Then I played with my new gel manicure light -- I haven't had my fingernails done since the apocalypse started, and I was really missing that little bit of fanciness, and then a coworker friend gave me a light and the top/base coat for gel manicures for my birthday. So I did my nails, and I took the time to file my nails, soak my cuticles, etc. While I was doing my nails, I watched a couple of episodes of TASTE THE NATION (Padma Lakshmi's culinary show), which I adore. And my nails turned out pretty well, so we'll see how the polish holds up.

Then I picked up the book I started last night (BIG SUMMER) and read later than I planned, but managed to put it down and not finish the rest of it. There are still superficial similarities to some of what I'm writing, but the twist in the middle is definitely not what I plan for my book, so that's a relief. And now I need to go to bed, because I have a big day planned tomorrow - goodnight!

and so it goes, we found our sweet disaster

I have nothing to report today. I did the usual coffee/meditation/journal thing this morning, then worked all day. Lunch was a salad from sweetgreen (aka my old life, since it's a San Francisco salad chain), and I took some meetings outside to soak up some sun before winter comes. I also had a funfetti cupcake from my freezer, and that bag of cupcakes is one of my favorite things right now.

By 5:30ish I was done, although I perhaps should not have been. I spent some quality time reading a couple of cookbooks and making some grocery lists - I want to get back into making elaborate meals and this weekend seems like a good time for it. I also made some rice to go with a package of chicken chile verde that I'd pulled from the freezer - I'd made it in August and it freezes well, so it tasted extravagant even though it took no effort tonight.

Then I doomscrolled for way too long, but I finally pulled myself out of it and journaled again, then started reading a book. It's BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner, and I'm not really into it yet (the main character is a plus-sized instagram influencer and I am not sure I like her inner monologue).... But I felt like I have to read it because it has a lot of superficial similarities with the book I'm writing (friends reuniting long after a falling out for a wedding, the influencer lifestyle, New York, etc). They're not the same book at all, but I feel like I need to at least be aware of this one.

But now I'm going to bed - goodnight!

we're cut from a stained glass mountain

Today was lovely, all in all, but I need to get off my laptop immediately. I slept just late enough that I wasn't able to write this morning, but I did meditate and journal and make some perfect coffee (and wash my hair), so it could have been worse. Then I had meetings most of the day - some of them were more important than others, but I got through all of them. I also had some time to do some actual work, and I was pretty productive with that time (unlike some days, when I squander it)....and I did that work while sitting on my patio, since I want to take advantage of the still-warm days before autumn hits in earnest.

So, work was decent. But it bled straight into a 90-minute class (literally no break between my meeting that ended at five and my class that started at five). I can't remember if I mentioned that I reconnected with Alyssa, my old trainer, whom I have always adored? She's moved most of her business online and is doing a six-month group coaching class around neurology, fitness, nutrition, etc., and I decided to #treatyoself to some coursework instead of another bottle of wine (jk, my quarterly bottles from Grgich showed up today too).

Tonight was the first class, and so far so good - we'll see how it goes, but it was kind of nice to force myself out of work mode (although the lack of break in between meant it was hard to concentrate - I'm going to have to put in a buffer going forward). After class, I reheated some leftover chicken and wild rice soup (yum), messed around on my phone, painted my toenails, and finally ordered a Kitchenaid mixer approximately fifteen years after y'all would have expected me to have one (thanks for the gift and the nudge to get it, Aunt B!). So I predict a lot of gluten free baking experiments with #quarantinechef...and if the gluten free baking goes nowhere, I also ordered the meat grinder attachment, so there might be sausage in my future (that's what she said).

And now, on that weird note, I'll see myself out and go to bed. Goodnight!

everyone's so intimately rearranged

I meant to be in bed thirty minutes ago, but I spent way too much time not working tonight, and then when I finally opened my laptop (around 9:45) the task I needed to do took longer than anticipated. Today was fine, all in all - I woke up, drank coffee, meditated, and didn't really write because I had an 8:30 meeting (although I did reread what I wrote yesterday to keep it fresh). I slogged pretty much straight through until five, although I ordered a poke bowl for lunch (#treatyoself) and also took a walk sometime in the afternoon.

When I was done around 5:15, I threw together some chicken and wild rice soup in the instantpot (it's very tasty and perfect for the first day of fall, even though I'm in denial about that date). I also cleaned up my back patio, did a couple of loads of laundry, talked to my parents, talked to [censored], and talked to Katie. And then I worked, which was not exciting but was necessary. And now I'm going to bed - goodnight!

write a song, make a note

I need to go to bed immediately, but today was good (albeit busy). I got up in time to meditate, journal, and write before work, which I count as a victory. Then I slogged all day, with a quick break for lunch and a break around five to make some oatmeal for the rest of the week + take care of tings around the house + eat a funfetti cupcake from my freezer (it was practically as good as fresh, especially since I had frosting in the fridge). Then I did a bit more work because I had to.

But I stopped around 7:30 for a most unusual reason - Lisa, who reported to me years ago, happened to be in Denver with her fiance, so they came over with their dog and some takeout so we could enjoy some backyard time. It was awesome to see her, and we went deep on life, politics, blockchain, venture capital, chance meetings at Barnes and Noble, etc. We had a really fun night in the middle of the apocalypse, and it was over too soon....

But now I must sleep - goodnight!

although this wave is stringing us along

I'm back in Denver after a v. smooth travel day (unless I got coronavirus, in which case it was not smooth at all). I woke up this morning with plenty of time to hang out, pack, eat some leftover bratwurst and potato salad, and generally relax through the morning. I eventually had to say goodbye to my parents, and then to [censored], before driving to Des Moines to catch my flight. That was all v. smooth - Des Moines is always a delight to fly out of, even when dropping off a rental car, so I had time to grab a salad while I waited.

The flight was entirely uneventful and I slept for part of it. When I got to Denver, my bag took awhile, but I blame the fact that I was at the wrong baggage carousel (I swear the announcement on the plane was for a different carousel than where they actually ended up). But getting home was super smooth - no traffic, and I was able to stop at the grocery store and grab a couple of things to make the next couple of days easier.

Then I got home, ordered some takeout Thai food, messed around online, and generally didn't do the work that I had intended to do. So I'm going to make the typical mistake of trying to go to bed early so that I can get up early and work - let's see how this goes. Goodnight!

we got a fine crustacean band

It's my last day in ye olde Iowa, so I tried to make the most of it by being pretty lazy. I ran a couple of errands this morning, then ate leftover Mexican food, then spent the early afternoon continuing to be lazy. But I did eventually rally, run into the lumber yard to buy a brush, and finish painting the door for the cave - I'd put a coat on two weeks ago but wasn't able to finish due to wind conditions over labor day, but since I came home this weekend I decided to finish it. It turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself, and hopefully I won't wake up covered in chigger bites.

Then we ate a delicious supper (brats, potato salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, and hot dogs for good measure), and then I was lazy for the rest of the night. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

the seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake

I'm still in ye olde Iowa. Yesterday was brutal, only because I barely slept after my excursion with Adit - I was back in my room and attempting to sleep by midnight, but drinking coke zero and fireball at eleven was not a good idea for sleep quality. So I woke up groggy yesterday morning, rallied, dropped Adit off at the airport (we wore masks in the car; someone in my county died of covid after driving people around, so I tried to limit my chances), and then drove home. That meant I made it in time to get settled in before my meetings started, and the coffee / hashbrowns / sausage that I grabbed at McDonald's on the way out of the city went a long way toward helping me recover.

Then I slogged all day, ate with my parents (porkchops and tater tots, which were delish, plus I roasted some broccoli to go with it), and then slogged until [censored] showed up. Today was more of the same - I had a ton of meetings, so there were no breaks and no real work done. But I stopped a little after five to hang out with my mom, which was nice. And then we had takeout Mexican food for supper, which was particularly delicious. And now, after drinking slightly too much wine discussing RBG's death with my friends, it's time for bed - goodnight!

baby i'm faded, all i wanna do is take you downtown

I had one of the weirdest nights of the year, not gonna lie. The day was normalish - I woke up, said hi to my parents, and then slogged.

Oh, I buried the lede - I'm in Iowa. Long story, only here until Sunday. I had intended to fly in today, but came in yesterday for reasons.

 

But I left home at 3:30, drove to Des Moines, checked into the Savery (which has Aveda products and caters to millennials), and took a six o'clock meeting from here. Then I met up with Adit (some people call him the cat)... This is what made the night so strange. I haven't seen a friend other than Katie, Barbara, and some work people since February, and my social skills are completely rusty, and even when I did regularly see Adit it was not in Iowa (although he's the only friend who has been to my home town). Adit was in Iowa for one night only, and I happened to make a trip, so we met up.

We had dinner at Court Avenue Brewing C, which made me a v tasty salad to enjoy while we watched an endless procession of the same three cars going around and around the block. The waitress also comped us shots, which tells me we may get out of the apocalypse after all. Then we walked past a liquor store on the way to the hotel and bought some fireball, which we put in coke zeroes to drink in the lobby. Both our waitress and the hotel receptionist told us with great jubilation that the bars had opened earlier than expected tonight, but drinking illicit fireball in the lobby felt more our speed.

And now I need to sleep so I can get back to my parents' and work tomorrow - goodnight!

after all that you put me through

I had a pretty good day all in all - some long meetings and not nearly enough actual work done, but that's the way it goes. And I had a takeout burrito bowl for lunch + tasty grilled meats and veggies for dinner, so at least that provided some enjoyment. But I'm falling asleep over my laptop, so that's all you're getting tonight - goodnight!

baby we're a dying breed

The less said about today, the better...Mondays in the apocalypse are particularly bleak and brutal. But I got up and journaled before work, and my coffee was good, so at least there was that. I had a relatively light day today, so I snuck out in the late morning to run to Boulder to pick up my contacts...I had ordered them three weeks ago and kept waiting to see if my glasses would show up too, but today I finally gave up and needed the contacts. So of course, after driving forty minutes each way, I got a call two hours later saying that my glasses are in :( They may have to keep them, because I may never go to Boulder again.

After that errand, I picked up lunch at Garbanzos (a Mediterranean fast casual place that is v similar to Chipotle, but with yellow rice instead of cilantro rice, and hummus instead of guac, and feta instead of jack, and tzatziki instead of sour cream). on the way home and ate it on my patio. Then I slogged the rest of the afternoon/early evening before talking to Katie and also talking to my mom (and also talking to Jessica because I accidentally called her, but it was a delightful accident). And I exchanged texts with Ritu about someone who looks like Brad Pitt wearing a fake fur jacket, which is my favorite kind of text. And I ordered fancy takeout pasta from Bar Dough because I didn't feel like cooking (see: Monday).

But now, all of that is behind me and it's time for bed - goodnight!

summertime, and the living's [quarantined]

I'm falling asleep in my living room, so I need to take myself off to bed. Today was decent, all in all - I slept in a bit, then took care of a bunch of tidying-type projects around the house. My kitchen and laundry room are now tidier than they've been in quite some time, so that's a win.

I also talked to Chandlord briefly, and at some point I talked to my parents, and later I talked to my brother. I made myself a perfect BLT(+ A for avocado) for dinner, did some outdoor stuff, and then ended my night with a family dinner call with Chandlord, Adit, John and Jess, and Claude and Sam. Everyone is in a bit of a local minima, mostly due to fires...but otherwise people seem to be okay-ish, and it was good to hear people's voices.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

you know i love the past 'cause i hate suspense

I had a pretty decent day, mostly because I indulged my desire to completely geek out over reorganizing my pantry. This was perhaps not the most important thing that I needed to accomplish, but it felt good to do it. When I got up this morning, I messed around the house for awhile, trimmed my bangs, showered, etc., and then made some spaghetti bolognese for lunch. Then I drove to Staples to pick up a label maker that I ordered this morning - it's probably kind of shocking that I didn't already own a label maker, given my tendencies. I do label things quite a bit, but I usually use washi tape and a sharpie. However, I decided to give in to my genetics and get a label maker, which was quite exciting.

So I came home and tore my pantry apart just in time to take a break and talk to Lauren (aka Subz) and Terry. We had much to catch up on, so it was great to talk to them. Then I paused the pantry project to make dinner - I tried a sesame chicken stir-fry from my Burma Superstar cookbook, along with some brussels sprouts that were patiently waiting to rot in my fridge. The chicken turned out pretty well - it really just made me want the orange chicken from Panda Express, but it was really tasty nonetheless.

Then I spent the rest of the evening messing around with my pantry; everything that belongs in the pantry is now put away, but I have to tidy up some stuff that needs tossed / put in the basement / put somewhere else. That, however, is a problem for tomorrow - right now I need to sleep. Goodnight!

i've got my orange crush

Happy birthday to me! Luckily I have a lot of experience with celebrating birthdays in the midst of national tragedy, so it was a pretty good day all in all. I got up in time to meditate and talk to my parents before work, and then I slogged from 9 to 4 (with a break for some leftover chili and a cupcake). I didn't have many meetings, so I was able to get actual work done, which was nice. And while I was working I got many texts/emails from various friends and family, which certainly brightened the day.

Then, around 5:30, Katie came over and we had a lovely few hours on my back patio. I opened a v fancy bottle of wine that I'd bought a lifetime ago (okay, eighteen months ago, on my wine weekend with the shedletskys), and we ordered food from the Mexican restaurant down the street, and it was a perfect evening. Fall is definitely in the air, but my outdoor blankets were up for their first job of the season, so Katie and I were able to hang out in comfort.

And now, I think I shall go to bed and see what tomorrow brings - goodnight!

i been sippin', that's the only thing that's keepin' me on fire

I need to go to bed before it's my birthday. Today was okay, all in all; I woke up too early and didn't feel great, but I realized pretty quickly that it was anxiety/panic (for no reason other than everything globally is awful, + some small day job stresses that compounded the anxiety). So I got out of bed, made some tea, meditated, and journaled, and that all really helped.

So, I was able to tackle the day without much drama; I had a bunch of meetings from nine to five, but I had a little time to take a walk around the block, and I v. much enjoyed my leftover chili for lunch. After work, I went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, and then I went to the grocery store to pick up a gluten free funfetti cake (they do not sell that at Whole Foods, fyi). Then I came home, ate some takeout sushi for supper, and made myself some funfetti cupcakes. The mix is slightly drier than the standard mix - if I make them again, I would consider adding a package of vanilla pudding, which was an old trick before cakes started putting 'pudding in the mix'. But they turned out well, and I frosted some while freezing the rest, so I will have tasty funfetti snacks for awhile.

While they were baking, I did a bit of day job work, and then I got sucked into instagram and then the internet. But now it's time for bed - goodnight!

they couldn't go back to the greasers, the best they could do was pick up the pieces

I had a headache literally all day today; my face feels like my jaw is trying to clench, but since I paralyzed my jaw with botox (I regret nothing, it was intentional to stop the clenching) the rest of my face was trying to clench to make up for it. Or maybe it was just the massive weather change, the fact that all my San Francisco friends are posting apocalyptic nightmare photos of orange/red skies, too much work, and not enough good news.

sssanyway, I probably started off less than enthused because my first meeting was at 8:30 (but the person I met with was visibly exhausted bc her kids only let her sleep two hours last night, so I was doing better than her) and I slogged pretty much straight until six. I did take a pause to check my turnip prices in Animal Crossing (#priorities) and eat some chili, and I also took a quick walk to get some fresh air -- all the snow melted off the trees today, so even though it wasn't snowing I had to keep my hood up to ward against the massive amounts of melting snow showering onto the sidewalk.

After work, I boiled some water, cooked a single serving of spaghetti, and reheated some of the bolognese sauce that I made (but didn't eat) last night. It was pretty much perfect - if I weren't a member of the gluten free mafia, I probably would spend quarantine perfecting making fresh pasta, but that's not in my future. And this particular bolognese is delish even with gluten free spaghetti (which it should be, since it takes 5+ hours to make). Then I doomscrolled twitter before finally logging off, taking care of some tings, looking at desk chairs, etc.

And now, I should contemplate going to bed - goodnight!

they lived for a while in a very nice style but it's always the same in the end

For my first day back at work after a four-day weekend, I had surprisingly few meetings. It turns out that when I block off significant chunks of my calendar, people actually respect it - and I had blocked off this morning to recover from driving back. So, I had time to get some actual work done, which was amazing. And I made a batch of oatmeal to get me through the week, ate some leftover Indian food for lunch, had a couple of not-too-onerous meetings, and then started prepping supper while catching up on some video trainings that I needed to watch.

Tonight I made bolognese sauce, which takes approximately five hours. I was going to potentially make chicken and wild rice soup too, but I forgot to buy mushrooms, so I made black bean chili (my original plan) instead. The chili and the sauce both turned out great, and now I have food for the rest of the week without having to cook (other than boiling water for pasta to eat with the bolognese sauce).

And now I really need to go to sleep - I unfortunately have an earlyish meeting tomorrow and I want to meditate and possibly write before then. Goodnight!

it's been a long december

No blog tonight - I'm typing this on my phone because I don't want to get my laptop out, so I don't have the patience for something longer. Today was pretty smooth, all in all - I had a somewhat leisurely morning in Iowa before loading my car and saying goodbye to my parents and [censored]. The drive was entirely uneventful, although it took slightly longer than expected due to holiday congestion. And the smoke from Colorado was v visible by the time I hit ogallala, which made for a v apocalyptic filter for the last three hours of the drive.

But I got home, unloaded my car, ordered Indian takeout, got groceries delivered, and also wrapped up my irrigation backflow preventer in preparation for a bunch of snow tomorrow. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

second third and hundredth chances

 I'm falling asleep in my chair, so I need to go to sleep immediately. I had a nice day today, though - I spent some quality time this morning baking an early birthday cake for myself. I made the traditional lemon cake that I usually made back in the day, although I've now mostly figured out how to make it gluten free.

Then I hung out outside most of the afternoon, which was as delightful as always. At some point I took a nap, which was enough to rally for the rest of the day. My dad smoked a pork butt today, and my mom made fried potatoes and layered lettuce, and so I preemptively declared that I was celebrating my birthday tonight because it was one of my favorite meals. Then, after cake, I hung out with my parents for awhile before coming downstairs to think about my book and instead play Animal Crossing.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

like he's just your understudy

Today was decent; I had a better day than [censored], who startled a buzzard out in the yard and then found and had to dispose of [censored]. Still, I had to work all day - it was a lot of meetings, which always leave me feeling a little fried.

But I have tomorrow and Monday off, so at least I have a couple of days to chill and recover. After I was done working for the day, I hung out with the fam; we ate takeout from the Mexican restaurant in town, which was delish. Then, [censored] and I watched 'Palm Springs', which is sort of a new 'Groundhog Day' and was v. funny and delightful.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

laughing but the joke's not funny at all

I need to go to bed immediately - I worked all day (some inside, some out on the back porch), and just stopped for a break for dinner. That break was delicious - my mom made steak, baked potatoes, and green beans, and it was exactly what I needed.

Then I tried to do some performance review stuff (over wine, which is the drink of choice for most of my friends while writing peer reviews). Then [censored] showed up, and we talked for awhile. And now I need to sleep, since I have another day completely full of meetings tomorrow - wish me luck. Goodnight!

it's calling out your name

I have worked too many hours today, and I'm going to work too many hours tomorrow, so I think I need to shut my laptop and close my eyes even if I'm not feeling quite ready to sleep. Today was fine, though - I had a leisurely breakfast and hung out with my parents, and then showered before my first meeting (with my boss, hence deciding that a shower was a good idea). I then had meetings off and on the rest of the day and wasn't done until six. Then I had supper - my mom made some excellent pork chops with sweet potatoes and creamed peas, so it was a v. tasty break.

My parents started to watch a western after that that looked vaguely interesting, but I decided to be a good corporate cog and come back downstairs to do some more work. I wasn't maximally productive, but I got through some stuff that I needed to do, so the rest of the week might not be quite so bad. I'm trying to avoid having to work this weekend, but since this week and next are both short weeks and we're in the middle of performance review season, I'm honestly not sure I can get enough done tomorrow and Thursday to save myself. But we shall see, and tomorrow I shall make a valiant effort. But for now it's time for bed - goodnight!