do you have enough love in your heart to go and get your hands dirty

This weekend did not go according to plan. Not that there was much of a plan, beyond staying in my house - but it's possible that I would have taken down my Christmas tree if I had stayed in my house, and also possible that I would have started organizing my taxes or done myriad other things around my domicile.

Instead, I'm in ye olde Iowa. I left Colorado yesterday (around 2:30pm, after an abbreviated front porch hangout with Katie), spent the night in Lincoln, and finished the drive today. Long story short, my dad is in the hospital, and while he's doing much better, it felt like coming home and helping out with groceries, Netflix access, etc., might be the right thing to do.

So I rolled into home around 12:45pm and said hi to [censored], who had held down the fort over the weekend but was headed back to his house this afternoon (my dad went into the hospital on Thursday, so [censored] came home then). [censored] helped me with some car unloading, and we chatted, and I ate some of the delicious vegetable beef soup that he'd made, and that was all delightful.

Then he left, and I spent the afternoon unpacking and organizing since I have to work tomorrow. Then I made some food - tonight's endeavor was potato soup, which was delish, + a bit of prep for making salads tomorrow. My mom came home from the hospital a little before eight, so we ate soup together and caught up, etc.

And now, I have stayed up slightly later than planned (but in a productive fashion, since I wanted to spend some time with my planners to scope out the month ahead). So it's time for bed - goodnight!

then you try to scream but it only comes out as a yawn

No blog tonight - I'm already in bed but my laptop isn't in bed with me, and I'm too tired to type a whole entry on my phone (even though that is sometimes the method I use). So you'll have to wait until tomorrow for substantive updates - goodnight!

i've been thinking lately of what i'm missing in the city

Today was not the most productive Friday I've ever had, but it wasn't the worst either. I let myself sleep in a little bit (to 7:30 - how indulgent) and then made coffee and rode my Peloton. I really am liking the bike quite a lot - and I'm also liking the fact that I can get some exercise without forcing myself out into the frigid wastes of a rocky mountain winter.

After that, I showered and just barely made it to my nine a.m. meeting. Then I had meetings until around noon, when I paused to greet a plumber - in addition to my painting debacle this week, I also had a leak in the shutoff valve to my irrigation system, which meant that I needed to get it fixed before I ended up with frozen pipes. The plumber was quick and efficient, and it seems that the issue is fixed, so I'm happy that at least one home project seems to have gone right this week.

Then I ate some takeout chile verde, messed around the rest of the afternoon, got a little bit of work done, and was generally just productive enough to not feel guilty that I wasn't even more productive. When I was done, I dashed to the post office, then came home and spent most of the evening organizing, taking care of household chores, etc.

And now I'm desperate for sleep - goodnight!

so don't delay, act now, supplies are running out

Today had some v. strange moments. I had a few good meetings in the morning, felt v. professional, etc....and then at three p.m. it utterly devolved. I had organized a few fun events for the Boulder office, and today was a mixology class (which I of course put myself into, since I wanted to do that rather than paint or decorate cookies or whatever). Thirty-some people dialed into the call, made small talk, etc. - and then the bartender showed up, and he was perhaps the most ridiculous stranger I've interacted with in a year. He was just so strange and bizarre and hilarious, and clearly all of us were stunned and yet simultaneously enjoying it. We made some 'winter warmer' that was basically hot chocolate with bourbon in it, and then the second drink was a cranberry margarita. I only made the winter warmer because I was pacing myself and needed to drive later, but all in all the event was a smashing success.

After, I hung out (virtually) with my friend Tomas, who happened to be in the same event - we finished our drinks on screen together and caught up on life. And we realized that part of what made the event was so weird and wonderful is that we just don't have those weird serendipitous interactions with odd strangers anymore - I can't think of the last time I truly interacted with a stranger beyond a few minutes at the grocery store (or, I guess, the weirdo painter dude yesterday). I want that back so badly, but today was a v. entertaining glimpse of something akin to 'normal' life.

sssanyway. After I hung up with Tomas, I ran a couple of errands -  mostly picking up an order that was waiting for me at Nordstrom and also returning an online order. Then I came home, ate some leftover beef stew, did a bunch of laundry, talked to my mom, and generally took care of many house tings.

But now, it's past my bedtime and I have a lot on my list tomorrow, so I think it's time to sleep. Goodnight!

i wish i was a little bit taller, i wish i was a baller

Today did not go as planned - I'm okay with that, but it certainly threw a wrench in things. I got up and felt pretty good about finishing the prep to empty my bedroom for the painters, and I got everything taken care of and squared away. I also drank coffee, showered, had some yogurt, did some quick personal tasks, etc., and generally felt on top of things....

Then the painters arrived, and long story short, I overheard a very awkward argument in which the subcontractor decided he no longer wanted the job, and so he walked out before starting. I was actually fine with this as he seemed incredibly dumb - he asked three or four times what paint was going where, which was v. concerning because I am using one (1) color for all of the walls in the master bed, master bath, master closet, and guest bath. Granted, there were two ceilings that needed to be painted white (small ceilings, in the closet and in the small toilet room), but really, one (1) color + two ceilings shouldn't be hard for a painter to remember.

So, they were here approximately fifteen minutes, the manager (who had given me the quote and was just here to help the guy get started + move my bed) was profusely apologetic, and I'm back on the schedule for Monday with a different painter. This is really not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but it means I can't spend the weekend putting my bedroom back together. However, maybe that means I'll take my Christmas tree down....we shall see, we shall see.

After that, the rest of the day was anticlimactic. I had a bunch of meetings, of course, and I ended up with a coaching call with Alyssa. Then I made myself a hemingway daiquiri and called [censored]. After I talked to him, I reheated some beef stew, did some tings around the house, etc., etc.

And now I should either do some day job stuff or go to bed early so I can get up super early to tackle it - we shall see. Goodnight!

drill it in like you're j. paul getty

Nothing of interest to report. I continue to stare at the same walls that I have been staring at, but tomorrow some of those walls will be a different color - the painters are coming for my bedroom/bathroom. So I spent a couple of hours this evening moving everything out of my bedroom and closet so that I'm ready for them tomorrow. I still have to empty my dresser, but I think I'll do that in the morning; other than that and stripping my bed in the morning + moving my lamps, everything is good to go.

Beyond that, nothing exciting happened - although I did write this morning, and it went well, so I'll take it. I also had to shovel snow this evening, since it snowed lightly but steadily all day. Yes, things are v. exciting in quarantine these days.

But tomorrow's painting will be exciting, and so I'll take what I can get. Goodnight!

someone give me fucking zen

No blog tonight - today was supremely unexciting. I got up and did some tings before work, and then I slogged all day. I had fish chowder for lunch, and it seems to get even better as it ages...but I assume there is a cliff after which cod will definitely not continue to get better.

After work, I made beef stew in my instant pot - I believe this week is officially soup week. And I did some more stuff around the house, amused myself with some tiktok, and wrote in my journal, so that was all lovely. But after this v. boring entry, it's time for bed - goodnight!

they say these waters aren't what they used to be, but i've got people back on land who count on me

Sunday Scaries were out in full force today, but I managed to salvage some decent times in spite of them. I spent the morning doing a bunch of office stuff (for my writing life, not for my day job life), and then I had a chat with Veronica (we usually try to write together, but today we mostly caught up on life). Then I was supposed to have another friend zoom call, but I was feeling zoomed out from the week + desperately in need of doing tings around the house, so I bailed.

That gave me ample time to take care of some tings - mostly related to painting swatches of paint all over my bedroom and bathroom, since I have painters coming Wednesday to turn my dark, cavelike, not-at-all-my-color bedroom into something that will make me happier (or at least more able to wake up in the morning). I also talked to [censored], since we were overdue for a catchup. And I talked to my parents, of course - it's our usual Sunday call, but I managed to call slightly earlier today (albeit still probably later than it would be wise to, since it usually cuts into dinner time).

However, I wasn't particularly hungry when I got off the phone since I'd had a weirdly late lunch, so I rode my Peloton instead. So far I'm very happy that I bought it - I am actually enjoying it, which is a shocker. Then I took a shower (seven p.m. showers are usually not my thing, but they are when I just exercised), and then I finally heated up some of yesterday's leftover fish chowder. It was much better today - the flavors had melded together, and it was quite tasty. I have way more fish than I will be able to eat before it goes bad, but at least I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow.

Then I journaled, did some laundry, did some writing stuff, etc. And now I should sleep so I can get some work done tomorrow - goodnight!

can't make a living as a bayman anymore

I had a pretty productive Saturday, although I probably should have gone to bed a couple of hours ago. I spent the morning doing a variety of house-related tasks, which was great. I got groceries delivered, thus crossing a major errand off my to-do list. And I had coffee and showered, which are v. necessary for making me feel human in the morning.

Then, Katie came over - it was only forty degrees and very much not the kind of day that we would choose for outdoor dining, but the need for friendship outweighed the need to feel my fingers, so we sat outside for a couple of hours. We also ordered thai food, which warmed me up substantially, and my outdoor blankets (and uggs, and a coat) helped. Katie was in fine form and we had much to catch up on, so that was a delight (albeit a frigid one).

After she left, I ran to the paint store to buy a few paint samples for the bedroom project I'm embarking on. Then I came home and began to cook a baked fish chowder - it's from the latest Barefoot Contessa cookbook, and it's been on my list of recipes to try. It involves onions, celery, potatoes, bacon, cod, butter, cream, wine, saffron, and pernod (an anise-flavored liqueur) - so, pretty decadent, but also similar in flavor profile to a chicken bouillabaise from one of the earlier Barefoot Contessa cookbooks (which used to be a mainstay of my dinner parties). I was slightly disappointed in how it turned out, I must admit - the potatoes needed more salt, I thought the celery dice was too big (she called for 1/2" dice, but I didn't like the texture of the cooked celery at that size), and I didn't have the usual bacon I use and wasn't impressed with the alternative bacon that I'd found. That said, it was still tasty, and it was certainly a different meal than what I'm used to making.

While that was cooking, I talked to Terry for awhile - we also had much to catch up on, and it was also a delight (warmer than catching up with Katie, since I was inside and also cooking, but also virtual rather than in person, so there are trade-offs). After we got off our call, I ate my fish stew, messed around on the internet, and did some personal productivity stuff to close out the night.

And now I must sleep - goodnight!

all the blue light reflections that color my mind when i sleep

I'm too tired to blog effectively - I didn't get enough sleep the last couple of nights and it's starting to hit me, so I think I'll go to bed as soon as I write this. Today was pretty good despite that - I made some fancy potato fennel gratin the other night and I leftovers this morning, and it was wonderful for breakfast (cheesy potatoes are basically breakfast anyway, right?). I then slogged pretty relentlessly all day, which enabled me to check a couple of tasks off my to do list that I've been avoiding, and that always feels good after it's done.

By 4:30 or so I decided to let myself be done, so I chatted with Katie to make a plan for tomorrow, then ran to the post office to finish setting up a PO box (I don't need a PO box in normal life, but if I get serious about writing business again, it's good to have a box that isn't my home address). Then I came home, rode my Peloton, poured a glass of chardonnay (probably not the approved post-workout recovery drink), and talked to Irish Matt. We hadn't talked since before the holidays, so we had much to catch up on.

Then I ate leftover takeout from last night, turned on the tv, and spent the rest of the evening watching Netflix while making a meal plan and a grocery delivery order, crossing tings off and adding tings to my to-do list, etc. And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

put the blame on vcr

I have nothing of importance to share today - I got up in time to do about an hour of work before my first meeting, which was enough to get me a little closer to set up for success. Then I slogged straight through until 5:30, with a quick break for a walk around the block somewhere in there - I had meetings straight from nine to five, with only thirty minutes for lunch, so it was extremely exciting when one of my meetings ended early.

Then I ordered takeout Indian food, and while I waited for it to get delivered, I rode my Peloton. I chose a ride through Golden Gate Park, which made me supes nostalgic - the ride also went by Cliff House, which has now closed, and it was all a bit surreal. Then I took a quick shower, ate, and spent the evening doing a variety of personal tasks (mostly related to cover designs, so that's exciting).

And now I should wind down and consider going to bed - goodnight!

river running free, you know how i feel

Well, today was something. I didn't get nearly enough day job work done (although I slogged very steadily all afternoon), but I watched the inauguration, ordered a poke bowl for lunch, and forced myself to answer many emails. In the evening, I made a potato fennel gratin to go with some leftover ham balls from my freezer - the potato fennel gratin is basically just fancy scalloped potatoes, and while it would have been healthier to eat a salad and ride my Peloton, tonight called for fancy potatoes instead.

As for the inauguration, I will spare much commentary since it will likely either offend some of my readers or duplicate what the rest of you already feel. But for my own posterity upon rereading someday, the highlights:

* the national youth poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, read an incredible poem and I'm in awe of her talent

* Garth Brooks' a cappella version of Amazing Grace made me cry (and also text [censored] to congratulate him that one of his classmates got to perform at the inauguration, since Garth graduated from the same graduate school as [censored] and surprised everyone by showing up to get his diploma)

* Lady Gaga definitely had some Hunger Games vibes, but her voice is out of this world

* I wish I looked good in high-waisted wide-legged pants, but I do not, so I will leave them to Michelle Obama

* it was rather nice, after the last four years, to see a pretty bipartisan display of unity in the speeches from McConnell, McCarthy, etc....and now we see what comes next

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

way down had to find a place to lay low

Today went about how I expected it to - I was not in it to win it after the three day weekend. However, I did get up early enough to write before work, and I was prepped enough for my meeting with my boss, and I got done the things that absolutely had to get done (but probably not as many things as I should have gotten done).

Sometime after five, I felt done enough, so I succumbed to the lure of tostitos and queso (which I never eat at home, but I was in the mood, and the queso that I have been stockpiling in the basement is at its expiration, so I guess I need to clear out the stockpile and buy fresh). Then I threw a potato in the oven in anticipation of wanting a real dinner and place a phone call to [censored]. We caught up while my potato was baking, and it was a delight. Then, when my potato was done, I cut the convo and focused on my prize - a baked potato that was not very interesting, but served with leftover ham balls from my freezer that were quite delicious.

And then I did v. little the rest of the evening - I did about twenty minutes of work, and did some research into various tings online, and doomscrolled, etc. And now I need to get off screens and go to bed - goodnight!

no more contacting please we are sleeping

I was supremely happy to have today off, but of course that just means delaying the inevitable and also cramming a five-day workweek into four days. Still, I'll take today for what it was. I actually slept pretty well last night, despite being distracted before bedtime (hence the failure to post my blog - I sat down at my desktop this afternoon and discovered that my blog was sitting half-written on my screen). And this morning, I got up in time to spend a couple of hours on a zoom with my old coworker/mentor Laura, who lives in San Antonio and who occasionally gets a mention here. We hadn't connected in about a year and a half, so our catch-up was overdue, and it was delightful to chat with her (and exciting to know that she'll probably be in Denver more frequently in the future).

Then I ate lunch, messed around on my computer, and talked to my mom. And then I did a Peloton ride - it was the hardest one I've done so far, which is probably not hard for people who've been riding it forever, but I was v. happy that I did it. The nice thing about having the Peloton in the guest room is that, when I'm done riding and stretching, I can promptly fall back onto a bed, which is superior to the relaxation options at a normal gym.

After that, I showered, ate a v. late sandwich, and ran a couple of errands - Bookbar to pick up a couple of books I'd ordered, and then Sherwin Williams to pick up paint chips for a possible master bedroom painting project. The master bedroom/bathroom/closet is the only room that I didn't paint (other than the guest bathroom) last year, and I think it's time to spice it up (aka finally patch the places where my movers damaged the wall / the removal of my old windowshade screwed up the paint). We'll see what I go with, but looking at colors is always fun.

Then I came home, took out trash and recycling, did a bunch of other tings downstairs, remade my bed, ate some leftover chicken, did a bunch of writing business stuff, folded a couple of loads of laundry, looked at paint chips in my bedroom, etc., etc. And now I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

she stole my broccoli casserole recipe

[editor's note: hmm, apparently I forgot to finish this! posting at 1:15pm on Monday for posterity]

Luckily I don't have to work tomorrow, so the sunday scaries are postponed until Monday. Today was pretty good, all in all, although I perhaps over-socialized. I had a Sunday morning writing/catch-up call with Veronica (in which I wrote, yay). Then I took a quick break to run an errand and eat a sandwich before hopping back on my computer - I had a video chat with Maya, whom I hadn't talked to in forever. We used to see each other at writing conferences every year + my somewhat regular trips to NYC, but I haven't been to a live writing conference since 2018 and haven't been to NYC since sometime around then either, so our catch-ups have fallen off dramatically. It was great to see her, and hopefully we'll be reunited sometime later this year (but we shall see - I have a lot of travel places on my list).

Then I messed around with some writing business stuff and also put some chicken in a marinade. After that, [....and this is where I stopped typing and got distracted by doing a lot of tasks on my to do list! goodbye until later!]

two hundred miles to clear, chasing a sound i hear

I woke up this morning feeling like I could have slept another five hours, but I forced myself to get up and at 'em. This meant coffee, and some yogurt, and a quick Peloton ride; it also meant getting out of the house around ten, which is v. unusual for me these days.

The first stop was Aunt Becky's - she had a gift that I'd gotten through our family white elephant exchange, so I stopped by to pick it up and say hi. We chatted for a bit, but unfortunately I couldn't stay long - I had a second social commitment today (unprecedented!) down in Colorado Springs, where I had a backyard hangout with Barbara. She's living in a new-to-her house while renovating her old house, so I got a tour of the new house before we sat in the backyard and ordered food from Modern Market. The weather was surprisingly great today - still in the forties, but with the sun and no wind it was pleasant enough to sit outside.

So, we caught up for a few hours, and it was a delight. We also drove (separately) over to her permanent house to see the remodel in progress - the main floor has been completely gutted, and it was exciting to see what it will become. Then, we sadly parted ways so I could drive back while it was still daylight, which I accomplished; I also stopped at Sprouts on the way home to pick up a couple of things I couldn't get at Safeway last night, and I'm feeling pretty well-stocked.

Then I mostly did nothing the rest of the night - I was too tired and too lazy to even turn on the tv, so I mostly laid on my chaise lounge like a fainting Victorian. And now I'm going to go to bed so that I can reclaim some semblance of productivity tomorrow - goodnight!

the name of the ship was the billy of tea

I am falling asleep downstairs rather than upstairs, which is really not a good idea, so I need to wrap this up. I had a relatively productive day - I continue pursuing my strategy of 'get something done today because maybe tomorrow something terrible will happen to keep you from being productive', and it seems to be working. Unfortunately, when it comes to the day job, the more productive I am = the more work shows up for me, so I'm not sure this is a great strategy.

But I had a decent day, so I'll take it. I wrapped up around five and eventually went to the grocery store (with a brief chat with Katie somewhere in there) - this time I went to Safeway, rather than Whole Foods, because I wanted bologna and potato chips and Coke Zero and other preservative-laden wonders that I can't get at Whole Foods. Then I came home, put away my groceries, and talked to [censored]. Once we were done, I finally ate dinner - the last of the leftover salmon/broccolini/potatoes from the other night, which were still perfect tonight.

And now, I think I shall go to bed since I have grand plans tomorrow - goodnight!

drive out of the city, away from the crowds

I don't even know what today was when it comes to my mood. I think it was good? But I didn't sleep at all well last night, on top of several nights of not sleeping well, and so I awoke bleary eyed and not particularly in it to win it. I meditated and journaled and coffeed my way out of my stupor, and I made it to my laptop just in time for my nine a.m. meeting. That led straight into many hours of meetings - my only break from 9am to 4:30pm was lunch. But I used part of my lunch break to take a ten minute nap, which may have been the only thing that saved me.

That nap also restored me just in time for a meeting with my VP, which went really well. And it restored me for a work fun event this afternoon - my team organized a virtual cocktail class, and it was super fun. They sent us a couple of kits in advance - one to make blood orange mojitos, and one to make some sort of old fashioned. The bartender worked at both Foreign Cinema and Bourbon and Branch, both San Francisco establishments of high regard, and now he's teaching virtual classes on zoom because that's what happens in a pandemic. So we made the drinks, and they were utterly delightful, and it was fun to hang out with people virtually...

...but I haven't had two cocktails before six p.m. in a lifetime, and I hadn't had dinner, so that promptly turned into ordering pizza from Blue Pan and making a second mojito (third drink overall - and I didn't finish it, but I did photograph it for instagram). Then, since I clearly wasn't going to attempt any further impressive feats, I finally succumbed to my desire to watch BRIDGERTON - it's taken Romancelandia by storm, as well as continuing to top the Netflix charts, and I've been saving it for a time when I knew I could binge it. I have a long weekend starting tomorrow night, so now seems like the right time - I watched two episodes tonight, and so far it's great.

I will have many more thoughts to share on it when I go deeper - but since I read all the books and know all the characters, and have imagined all these settings forever, it's v. entertaining. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

because i feel disgrace because you're all in my face

I had a pretty good day, all in all - it involved too much day job work early because I didn't work last night, and so when I woke up around 6:15 I did my usual morning routine and then started working for the man. But I got through what I needed to do for work, did a few things on my to-do list that I wanted to get to above and beyond the strictly necessary, and was able to stop around 5:45, so I'm calling it a win.

After work, I rode my Peloton - I tried out the 'scenic ride', which meant riding around some landscape with some soothing music. I chose somewhere around Cinque Terre, Italy, and I'm not sure if I felt a little off because I was slightly motion sick or because I was so damned sad that I couldn't be in Italy (probably a combo of both). Also I realized that I may not actually be that happy to be back in a place surrounded by tourists - that now seems so bizarre to me that it might as well be another life. But the ride felt good, and I think I've figured out the right setup for the seat so that my knee doesn't hurt. And I tried a stretching class after the ride and that was great too (as was trying their meditation app this morning), so so far so good on Peloton!

Then I lazed about and ate leftovers for dinner (the last of the chicken and mushrooms + carrots + mashed potatoes from the other night) while chatting with [censored] and Drewbaby via text. I then gave myself a pedicure and a gel manicure - and by that I mean I repainted my toenails (but certainly didn't pamper my feet with a soak and a massage and all the rest of the highlights from pedicures of yore) and then painted my fingernails. While I did that, I watched another video from that romance conference from December - I think I've now watched all of them but perhaps one. While I didn't learn anything from today's video other than how people who write a very short cliffhanger 'book' every two weeks make a depressingly high amount of money on Kindle Unlimited (which I actually already knew, so I guess I didn't even learn that), I'm still glad I watched it and I feel like I got my money's worth out of the conference even if it was virtual.

And now, I should probably consider going to bed - I have a full day of meetings tomorrow and dreams of writing around it, so it's time for bed. Goodnight!

wish i could turn my mind off for a month

I was pretty productive today, although I hit a wall this evening. But I got up this morning in time to write for an hour before work (mostly from bed - I was at my desk and actually crawled back into bed to brainstorm, since I hadn't showered yet, and it was great). And I slogged all day, mostly successfully.

When I finished work, I threw together a spicy red pepper/chipotle aioli from Barefoot Contessa's latest cookbook (which is a winner so far!) - this just involved chopping up some garlic and chipotle, chopping some jarred roasted red pepper, and pureeing it in my food processor before adding a cup of mayonnaise. The aioli took five minutes but really jazzed up the salmon that I made later, and it would also be amazing with sweet potato fries, or on a sandwich, or in an effort to jazz up many other foodstuffs.

After I did that, I had a quick call with Terry and Lauren (aka Subz) - we were overdue for a three-way catchup, so we made it happen tonight. Then I finished making dinner - I cooked some salmon, roasted some fingerling potatoes, and also roasted some broccolini with sharp cheddar cheese (broccolini also from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook). All in, this took <30min - everything cooked at 400 degrees for varying times, so while it took some careful timing to get everything done at the same time, I pulled it off and the end result was completely delicious.

Then I messed around on Instagram, caught up on Twitter, and did some romance novel business stuff. And now it's only ten p.m., but I'm determined to go to bed in the next 15-20min - I should have done some day job stuff tonight and did not, so I need to get up early and work in the morning. Goodnight!

chop it off, squeaky clean, i got thoughts nobody needs

Today was a day for productivity and attempting to get caught up on work. I was moderately successful in that goal - I got through some major things on my work to-do list, knocked out some email that had been lingering (although that's a task I never entirely accomplish), had a bunch of meetings, etc. Unfortunately, my focus on the day job meant that I didn't write or ride my bike or do much of anything else (other than a nap tonight, and a chat with Katie, and some v. tasty leftovers) - but I guess I have to be productive occasionally.

So, I have literally nothing of note to share with you tonight - I did take one quick break to drop some stuff off at the post office and pick up a book at Bookbar, but as far as interesting tidbits go, that is certainly not interesting. So, I'm going to go to bed and endeavor to be more interesting tomorrow - goodnight!

let me introduce you to the featherweight queen

I somehow only got six hours of sleep last night, so I'm going to try to go to bed as soon as I write this entry. I had a pretty productive day, all in all - I started with some coffee, yogurt, and my to-do list, and then I did a Peloton ride. I was not in it to win it today - when I got on the bike I realized how tired my legs still were from Friday, and so my performance was not at all impressive. But I did the whole twenty minute ride, so at least there's that - and as I told [censored] tonight, doing my second ride meant that I cut my cost-per-ride for the bike in half, so that's a win!

Anyway, I think I'm really going to like the bike - it felt good to get some activity in without having to freeze to death to do it. Then I foam rolled, showered, poured some more coffee, and had a virtual writing date with Veronica. We caught up on some tings and then silenced ourselves to write, and I spent a good chunk of time brainstorming and scribbling notes to myself. I'm nervously excited about the writing at the moment, and I want to keep it going.

That means I probably should have written more this afternoon, but instead I knocked a variety of tings off my to-do list, did some laundry, and talked to my parents. I also made a v. tasty dinner - chicken thighs with mushrooms, roasted carrots, and mashed potatoes. The carrots were a new-to-me recipe from Barefoot Contessa and they were super tasty - roasted under the broiler to get a bit of char, then tossed with orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and salt to give it some added oomph. I need to work on my broiler technique, since rather than charring the carrots, I ended up with a bunch of smoke and had to open the windows [I think the sheet pan I was using was too cheap, and so it warped in the heat, and I think that splattered some oil onto the oven and burned]. But overall dinner was super tasty and I'm looking forward to leftovers.

Then I did some more stuff around the house, planned out my week, took a look at some day job stuff to prep for tomorrow, etc. And now I'm going to sleep - goodnight!

when facing the wind got wicked we rallied and raised up

Well, as usual, when left to my own devices and when I do not have to work in the morning, it's suddenly midnight. Stupid.

Today was pretty good, though. I was lazier in some ways than I had planned - I didn't write, and I didn't cook anything. But I did do a lot of necessary stuff around the house, like fully putting away everything from my trip, resetting my guest room now that the bike is in place, organizing my office, breaking down boxes, taking out trash, doing laundry, reorganizing my cookbooks and my bar cabinet to accommodate new acquisitions, etc., etc.

I took a break from my casual productivity to have a post-Christmas gift exchange with Joann, Jen, and Jane - we did a Secret Santa and no one was supposed to know who had given them their gifts, but due to the fact that everything had to be delivered in advance, there were multiple hilarious shipping fails that led to almost everyone knowing either what their gift was or who had sent it to them. That said, it was fun - I gave Jen a set of the Riedel wine glasses that I'd bought for myself at Christmas because I think they're fabulous, and Joann gave me some cool 'cocktail ice cubes' that you freeze, then toss into a glass with liquor to make a cocktail (+ some travel toiletries kit that hasn't arrived yet but that I was coveting on Instagram). So, it was delightful to catch up and exchange gifts and generally hang out, even if spending time on video conference when I'm not working always feels a little weird.

Then I ordered takeout from Ash'kara, which was delicious (chicken shawarma and rice bowl + their amazing hummus and equally amazing gluten free pita). I then spent the evening alternating between getting things done and...not getting things done, I guess.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

one day when the tonguing is done we'll take our leave and go

I slept pretty well last night, but even with coffee I wasn't feeling totally in it to win it this morning. However, I did have several hours of work that needed to get done, and I also had meetings most of the afternoon, so it was a fairly productive work day. And, in the late afternoon, my exercise bike got delivered - I have succumbed to the allure of Peloton despite never intending to get one. I ordered it back during the first week of December, as it was sinking in that I will be stuck in my house most of the winter and desperately need to do something for my cardiovascular health since I do not do anything on the days when it feels too cold to take a walk.

I didn't play with it immediately, even though the delivery people set it up super fast and it was ready to go - first, I had a last work call / happy hour with Sara, and we had much to catch up on. Then I called my parents and ended up talking with (or 'discussing' with, as my gram might have said) my dad for a couple of hours. After that, it was almost 8:30 and I perhaps should have wound down and watched tv like I had originally planned. But instead, I decided to check out my bike setup and I ended up doing my first ride. So far so good - the hardest part was figuring how to clip in, since I've never taken an actual spin class or ridden a bike that requires cleats, and so clipping into the pedals was a bit of an adventure. But once I was in, I felt so victorious that I went ahead and did a ride. I think I'll potentially really like it, but we'll see if my legs feel like rubber tomorrow.

Then I messed around online and with my planner to consider what I need to get done this weekend, and now I think I should go to sleep - goodnight!

soon may the wellerman come to bring us sugar and tea and rum

I was super tired all day because I managed to only get six hours of sleep, and even the best coffee wasn't enough to overcome that problem. But I made it through my meetings, had some leftover pulled pork / sweet potato / brussels sprouts for lunch, made it through more meetings, and was able to log off by five. Then I ordered Indian food, talked to Terry, and rearranged my guest room - I have no guests coming for the foreseeable future, but I do have an exercise bike getting delivered tomorrow, and I decided the guest room is the right place for it given the aforementioned dearth of guests. Note that guests are still welcome, but the bed has been shoved into the corner to make room for the bike - so we'll see how that goes.

Then I spent the evening alternating between doomscrolling and getting some shit done. I was going to go to bed early, but of course I got my second wind (perhaps technically my first wind?) around 9pm, and suddenly it's almost eleven. So, bedtime is imperative - goodnight!

swimming through sick lullabies

Welp, today was something. It was something I felt like I've seen coming for several years (such as on July 21, 2016, when I watched Trump accept the nomination, which should tell you that I've been concerned about his authoritarian/anti-democratic/completely selfish characteristics since long before it became popular to do so in the mainstream; or on June 2, 2020, after watching him send in troops on protesters in DC (which very notably did not happen today)). And yet it was still shocking and awful to actually watch, and very upsetting to think about what he could incite in the next fourteen days.

So. The morning was pretty good and I got some writing done before work, but I was pretty distracted all afternoon and gave up around five to order guac and enchiladas and margaritas from my favorite Mexican place down the street. But I ended the evening with an emergency doom zoom family time; Adit, Chandlord, Claude, Sam, John, and Jess all made it, so we hit quorum  (I don't know where Priyanka was, and Ritu was at the hospital, so they're excused). We hung out for a couple of hours and talked about politics and tiktok and merch and a variety of other topics, and it was a delight.

But now I need to sleep so that I can try to get something done tomorrow - goodnight!

turning saints into the sea

I got a flurry of hits on my blog tonight for the search term "now I’m falling asleep and she’s calling dekalb", which is a joke I made for myself as the title of a post during the election in November - and I wish I would have tweeted that shit because I saw someone tweet it tonight and they got many tens of thousands of likes. Also, I hate everything I just said about posting it on twitter for the likes.

sssanyway. Today was full of existential dread, but I didn't feel too bad about being unenthused and unproductive because every person I talked to at work felt similarly. Tomorrow is soon enough to rally and get caught up. I did, however, write for an hour before work and thirty minutes after, and that is a feat I very much hope to accomplish again tomorrow. I also made some brussels sprouts, roasted some sweet potatoes, and made a chipotle/maple/orange butter from my new Barefoot Contessa cookbook to go on the sweet potatoes - it was pretty tasty and a good way to add some interest to sweet potatoes. And any 'added interest' to anything in my life right now is a good thing - I risk slipping into deep, soul-crushing boredom while being stuck at home, so fancy butter is at least something.

While I was cooking that stuff, I had a phone conversation with Chandlord, who is just as bored as I am. Then I ate those tasty things with some of the pulled pork I made yesterday, and it was a delightful dinner. After that, I made the mistake of turning on election results and spending too much time going down rabbit holes, but I rallied, turned off the tv, and spent some quality time with my planner.

And now I need to go to sleep if I want to write tomorrow - goodnight!

i ain't blind and i don't like what i think i see

The one-day-delayed Sunday Scaries have arrived right on schedule. I actually think my headache is because I was away from Denver's altitude for three weeks and am dehydrated-ish, but we'll see how tomorrow treats me.

That said, I feel pretty happy about what I did today before my headache hit. I got up reasonably early, made coffee, meditated, and then sat in my writing office and did a couple of hours of writing work. I took a break when Katie called, and I lured myself into being distracted by inviting myself over to her backyard for lunch. Before I went, I made some dry rub spice mix and prepped a pork shoulder so that it could rest in my fridge for a few hours, and I also showered so I wouldn't smell like dry rub.

When I got to Katie's, we hung out in the backyard, wearing our coats and pretending that everything was fine. Luckily, while Denver's altitude can be a bitch, the weather is often not bad - it was in the fifties and sunny, so while it was not the kind of weather that would have caused me to actively choose an outdoor lunch in the beforetimes, it was certainly feasible to do it today. So, we hung out for a couple of hours, caught up on life, and ate poke bowls (we did not share with James because he is allergic to fish and also had to leave for a doctor's appointment anyway). It was great to see her, of course, and I wish all days in quarantine could be this lovely...

After we finished, I swung by my house and then went to the grocery store (with a detour to wash the Iowa gravel dust off my car). When my groceries were duly procured, I came home, put everything away, and then threw the pork shoulder in the instant pot. This wasn't entirely effortless, since I seared it first, then deglazed the pot before pressure cooking it, but it was as close to effortless as you can get for making a tasty meat dish. However, I started it slightly later than I had planned, and even with pressure cooking it takes almost an hour and a half. So while it was cooking, I ate leftover thai food from yesterday, and then did a bunch of housekeeping stuff to bring things into a semblance of order.

And now, I need to stop staring at my screens and maybe spend a few minutes reading paper before bed - goodnight!

i could wait a year, but i couldn't wait three

Luckily I have tomorrow off, so the possibly epic post-holiday case of Sunday Scaries has been postponed to Monday. That meant today was some semblance of relaxing/productive. I'm still wiped out from the drive yesterday - I slept for more than eight hours last night, and still had to take a brief nap this afternoon.

But I managed to make breakfast, shower, talk to Veronica, order lunch, talk to my parents, and then do a bunch of stuff around the house in the afternoon/evening. I still haven't bought groceries, so that's a task for tomorrow - but thanks to my freezer, I had some bolognese sauce (on top of freshly-cooked pasta) for dinner, and it was delish.

I also spent some quality time this afternoon / evening considering my goals for the year. I feel like 2020 was pretty aimless, although the main task was surviving with my sanity mostly intact, and I am happy that I accomplished that. And the year wasn't all bad for me personally - despite all the challenges, I'm grateful that I've had quite a bit of time to reflect on my patterns and habits, think about how I can live a healthier and more joyful life, what I want and how I want to get it, etc. The challenge right now is that I feel ready to set some seriously ambitious goals, but it's hard to set seriously ambitious goals when so much of the world around me is more uncertain than usual.

But that's a problem that I can't solve tonight - instead, I think it's time for bed so that I can be ready for whatever happens when Sunday Scaries turn into Monday Melodrama. Goodnight!

i whisper things, the city sings 'em back to you

I am back in Denver, sitting in bed and ready to crash. Today was as smooth as it could be given that I didn't get enough sleep last night - so, I didn't get out of my parents' house until around 11am, which is later than one should theoretically set off on a ten-hour solo drive across the snowy midwest.

But I had a nice morning before I went - I loaded up my car and cleaned up the downstairs like I was leaving a second home (which is basically how it always is, since [censored] and I take out the trash, tidy up, clean out the fridge, etc). I also ate a last meal of ham + potato chips and my beloved A&E french onion dip - perhaps not the meal I should have eaten, since I knew I would eat garbage on the road, but that dip is addictive.

Then I said farewell to my parents and [censored], got in my car, and headed out. The most dangerous part of the drive was probably 0.5 mi from my departure, when I met a truck full of hunters on the unbladed gravel road east of the railroad tracks and had to pull over into several inches of snow/ice, but that was duly accomplished, and as soon as I got to the highway, the roads were clear the rest of the way.

So I drove all day; I made four stops mostly out of boredom / needing to use the bathroom because I was drinking liquids to alleviate my boredom, but I made it home in decent time (especially since I gain an hour coming this way). I listened to music for the first part of the voyage, but then I listened to a couple of podcasts, and then I listened to more of Matthew McConaughey's 'Greenlights' - it's a really excellent audiobook, and he's actually quite a good writer (at least of memoir; some of his poetry is not my jam, but his storytelling is great). So good, in fact, that I finished the chapter I was on while getting ready for bed, and I will probably have to finish the rest of it while walking or something since I don't want to wait for my next road trip.

And now, it's time for bed. My house seems to be in good shape thanks to Katie's check-ins, and I unloaded everything in my car that could freeze overnight, so I can sleep in tomorrow - and then we'll see what the day holds. Goodnight!

the thug life baby, it chose me, i didn't choose this city

Happy new year (pt 2)! Today was my last full day in Iowa, unless the roads are dire tomorrow, and I spent it taking care of a bunch of tings - but the most important was, of course, winning Ticket to Ride. The win was made more sweet because I beat [censored] by exactly one point, and I also did it after my dad inadvertently blocked me (as it turned out, completely unnecessarily). So, for the last Ticket to Ride game of this holiday season, I will most certainly take it.

I also went into my dad's shop in town and helped [censored] install a new hitch on his truck. This was treacherous for two reasons: 1) we got several inches of snow today, on top of the layer of ice we got two days ago, so the roads were not ideal, and 2) installing a hitch involves lying under a truck and holding a heavy metal hitch bar over your face while putting in the bolts necessary to attach the hitch to the truck. I can safely say that my v. brief apprenticeship in automotive work has confirmed that I do not want to pivot into a career as a mechanic. But I didn't smash my face and [censored] has a new hitch, and so I think it was pretty successful. I also helped [censored] move some bookcases he'd built into the house and down to the basement and into his room, so I think I've done my sisterly duty for both last year and this year.

I also did a test run of making gluten free onion rings with my air fryer - they turned out v. tasty, although the batch sizes are small, but I intend to keep experimenting with them in the future. And we closed out the evening with a new york strip roast (basically cooked like prime rib, delish) and fried potatoes and salad, and then I packed as much as I could pack tonight.

And now, it's time for bed - I need to get some decent sleep if I'm going to drive tomorrow. Goodnight!

it's been so long since i've seen the ocean....i guess i should

Happy new year! This is the first official post of 2021 (it's 12:53am in Iowa, so I'm counting it). Today was a v. lowkey and chill way to ring out what was a crazy and unexpected year. I slept in, lingered over coffee, stayed in my pajamas until after two p.m., and was generally pretty lazy. I did get some writing business stuff done, and responded to some emails, and did a bit of planning, but none of that was particularly onerous.

For supper, we had takeout Mexican food, which [censored] and I went to pick up - the outdoors is treacherous right now thanks to the thick layer of ice on everything, and I'm sure it will be worse tomorrow because I can hear ice hitting my window again. When I defrosted and cleaned off my car today, it was kind of trippy - the snow was so hard and icy that I could actually walk on top of it without consistently sinking in, and when I did sink it, it felt vaguely dangerous. My car had a quarter of an inch of ice on the windshield, which came off in large sheets and felt like tapping into a creme brulee. I'm hoping that Saturday's weather is nice, since it would probably be a good idea to get back to Denver sometime in 2021....

But that is a problem for the weekend. Tonight, after supper, [censored] and I watched the rest of the new season of Letterkenny, then watched a variety of other ridiculous tings, and generally stayed up way too late. But now that I've said goodbye and godspeed to 2020, it's on to the new year - goodnight!