call me by your name

I'm too tired to blog tonight - I had to get up this morning and make slides before my meetings started, so that made for a long day. I spent most of the day / afternoon slogging, with a quick break to run into town to pick up some red wine vinegar for salad dressing. I wrapped up my screen time by having a call with Alyssa, and then I threw a chicken in the oven to roast, talked to [censored], talked to Aunt Becky, cleaned the kitchen, etc., etc.

But on that boring note, I've been falling asleep in my chair for awhile and should really go to bed - goodnight!

where you can seem as old as your omens

I'm v. tired tonight - I should have done some work tonight, but it didn't happen. I also possibly should have done some work this morning, but instead I ran an errand to pick up groceries in the next county over - my parents' freezer was running low on meat, so I took advantage of a quiet Tuesday morning to run to the nearest grocery store with a good meat counter (30+ miles away) to stock up. I procured approx 30lbs of meat, so that should last us a day or two.

Then I came home and slogged all day, with a couple of wtf meetings. When I was done for the day (sometime after six), I roasted a bunch of beets and was going to turn them into a salad, but I forgot to buy/bring a crucial ingredient for the dressing, so I decided to refrigerate the beets and go to town tomorrow in hopes that they will have red wine vinegar. So my attempt at healthy eating was thwarted, and instead I ate leftover gluten free pizza with my mom.

And now, I believe I shall go to bed and attempt to do tonight's undone work early tomorrow morning - goodnight!

i caught it bad yesterday

I have nothing to report tonight - I worked today, but I was really not feeling it. And I probably should have worked tonight, but I was still not feeling it. The only thing I did feel was the walk I took this afternoon - it was seventy degrees out but super windy, and I belated realized I had made a mistake. The walk north away from our house was nice...but walking back was straight into the wind, and I started getting pelted in the face with little chunks of gravel and was afraid that the trees by our driveway would knock me out with errant branches. So hopefully the warmth continues but the wind abates.

And now I think I'm going to get off screens and go to bed - goodnight!

there goes the last great american dynasty

I had a nice day in ye olde Iowa, although now I'm realizing it's late and I have to work tomorrow and I should perhaps be asleep right now. I slept in this morning, and then spent most of the day hanging out - Aunt Becky came down to see my dad, and she brought pizza ingredients from Graziano's + some frozen gluten free crusts that were pretty good. It was a gorgeously sunny day out, even though it's still chilly; a month ago it was negative 17 and the world outside was covered in relentless snow, but now the pond has melted and the grass is green and my mom's daffodils are blooming. All things shift; all seasons turn; and we ate homemade pizza and were clearly all missing my Uncle Mark, who used to be the one to bring pizza ingredients down from the city.

sssanyway. It was a nice afternoon, and I felt as relaxed as I'm capable of feeling when my dad is clearly in quite a bit of pain and his wound is so slow to heal. Eventually, Aunt Becky headed back to the city, and I watched some Yukon Gold (a weird reality show about gold miners in the Yukon) with my dad. Later, I drove into town to pick up takeout from the Mexican restaurant in town - they wrote a note to my dad saying they hoped to see him soon, scrawled on the side of a styrofoam cup full of queso, which was sweet. Then I finished off the evening by flipping my mattress (it had a Suez moment and got wedged awkwardly against the wall, but I refloated it), remaking my bed, and watching some American Restoration with my dad (this is a reality show about a guy in Vegas who restores things).

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

she totally confused all the passing piranhas

I just realized it's 12:40am in Iowa, not 11:40pm (which is the time in Denver, and the time which my laptop was set to), which means I really need to go to bed immediately if I'm going to get anything of note accomplished tomorrow. Today was spent entirely in service of getting out of the high plains and into the midwest - I spent a couple of hours watering plants, taking out trash, loading my car, and generally prepping before hitting the road.

Today's drive was entirely uneventful (with the small exception of the herd of deer that crossed my path on the two-lane highway I take through Iowa, but I didn't hit them, so that was basically not noteworthy). I think I made the best time I've ever made - 10.5hrs, which included three stops, and so was exactly 10hrs of driving time for ~680 miles. My stops were v. brief - one on the western side of Nebraska (North Platte), one on the eastern side of Nebraska (Lincoln), and one in Mt Ayr (an hour from my parents), which perhaps wasn't entirely necessary, but it's the last good bathroom stop before home. The fact that I know where all the good bathrooms are on a 680 mile stretch is quite depressing to me, since I really wish I hadn't spent so much time in Nebraska this last year.

But it's good to be home, and I'm lucky I can drive it instead of flying it, so I'll take it. When I got home, I greeted my parents, unloaded my car, settled in, etc, etc. And now, as I said, I really need to sleep - goodnight!

listen all y'all it's a sabotage

I had a v. lazy day - I woke up this morning basically feeling hungover from working all week, and so was slow to get out of bed, slow to get around, slow to make breakfast, etc. That meant that breakfast was really more like brunch - I made huevos rancheros, which was a real treat after mostly living on oatmeal for recent breakfasts. And I messed around my house without accomplishing anything for most of the morning, but #noregrets.

I did eventually rally and leave the house - I made an epic Target run, since I hadn't been to Target for several months and was starting to run low on my hoarded home goods. I obviously could have gone longer without a Target run since my stash is rather epic, but I decided that a Friday afternoon Target run was preferable to going some weekend day. And, for whatever reason, Target had missed me so much that they had sent me a 20% off everything coupon, which is unheard of, so I took them up on it.

And so, $300 later, I'm stocked up on a wide variety of tings (and also have new bath mats because #treatyoself). Then I went to Whole Foods and bought some groceries for the trip back to ye olde Iowa - mostly things for snacks, although I bought beets so that I can expose my parents to my new favorite beet salad, and I also bought prosciutto so I can make them some fancy stuffed chicken.

Then I came home, unloaded everything, ate a snack, ran to Bookbar to pick up a book I'd ordered, came home again, talked to my mom, and spent the rest of the night packing / organizing / deciding what I should take to Iowa. Packing was super smooth because I mostly know what I need in Iowa at this point (and also have duplicates of some things, so I can survive there even if I forget some things). I have to load my car tomorrow, water my plants, load up my cooler, and take care of a couple of other things, but I'm hopeful that will all be smooth and I'll get out of here at a reasonable hour.

But in order for that to happen, I should sleep - goodnight!

choke this love 'til the veins start to shiver

I have a three day weekend courtesy of my employer, and the end of the work week could not come fast enough today. I had meetings pretty much straight from 8:30 to 4:30, with a 30min break in which I made an omelette and some toast to soothe my acidic stomach (despite my unusual stress levels this week, I only had one headache and one day of that acid/sour feeling I sometimes get, so I guess that's a win?). But I wore a hot new lipstick and put sugar and heavy cream in my coffee, so at least I had little bits of decadence to get me through.

Then, after many many meetings, I slammed my laptop closed around five and ran a couple of errands. Then I came home and basically did nothing the rest of the night - I did a bit of journaling, watched a bit of tiktok, kind of fell asleep while playing on my laptop, and messed around and daydreamed of restaurants and hotels and trips and the many things that I will do again someday but am not doing tonight.

And now I should consider bed - I'm going to ye olde Iowa on Saturday, which means that I intend to have a relaxing day tomorrow (and possibly make a Target run, which I'm v. overdue for) and get some packing done so I can head out Saturday morning. Goodnight!

endless ether

I had quite a long day today - I was not feeling in it to win it at all when I woke up, and so I skipped a couple of morning meetings where my presence isn't strictly required so that I could get some work done. I also had a coaching call with Alyssa, who was a delight (as always!). Then I had some afternoon meetings with people who mostly raise my spirits, which was great. And then I ended the day with a presentation to my big boss - not the most relaxing way to end the day, but it went well, so at least I got through that.

I probably should have worked tonight, but I couldn't handle it. So I took a walk after work, then came home and reheated some risotto and some roasted chicken. Then I watched some tiktok videos to spark some joy. And then I gave myself a gel manicure while watching a couple of episodes of DRUNK HISTORY - the show is so dumb and it makes me laugh, so that was a nice way to wrap up the evening.

And now I think I shall go to bed early so that I can aim for productivity (or at least a shower) in the morning - goodnight!

have a seat in the foyer, take a number

Today was pretty exhausting. I thought I had set myself up for some modicum of success - I got up, made coffee, rode my Peloton, and stretched / foam rolled before my first meeting, all of which felt like the kind of healthy choice that should be rewarded with world peace (or at least inner peace). But a lot of people at work were struggling today from all of the news of the Boulder shooting - it's just a lot to handle on top of a year of pretending to work like everything's normal. It's pretty upsetting to feel like we're getting closer and closer to some signs of the pandemic lifting, and we're just going straight back into mass shootings every day without getting any break at all.

So. Today sucked and I had trouble focusing, which was unfortunate since I have a lot of tings to do. But when I was done a little after six, I decided to be done for the night. I made some spaghetti all'amatriciana, which is one of my comfort foods - I usually have the ingredients lying around, since it just takes bacon, red onion, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, tomato sauce, and spaghetti. It went a little way toward rejuvenating me, but nothing was going to fix tonight. Then I alternated between journaling and watching tiktok videos, and now I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

miss sangria

Yes, I worked today. That was pretty much all I did, since I went to bed last night without having done anything that I had intended to do over the weekend, and so I was behind when I woke up.

But I took a break at five to call my parents and wish them a happy anniversary (happy anniversary!). Then I did some foam rolling and stretching. Then I roasted a chicken for the rest of the week + reheated some risotto and scallops for tonight’s supper, and they were delish. And then I worked for a couple of hours. And through it all I checked Twitter for news of the shooting in Boulder and got sadder and sadder.

And now it’s time for bed - goodnight!

make that money, fake that bunny, ache my tummy - on the fence, all the time

I got eight+ hours of sleep last night, but I don't feel sufficiently recovered for the week ahead - so even though it's not quite 9:15pm and I had planned to do some work tonight, I think I'm going to go to bed early and hope that translates into success tomorrow. Today was fairly relaxing, though - I did some stuff around the house this morning, made oatmeal, and then talked to Veronica for awhile. Then I spent the afternoon mostly not doing much - some laundry, some napping, some prepping of food for the next week (mostly roasted beets, which will turn into salad later).

Then I talked to [censored], followed shortly thereafter by my parents. By the time I was off the phone it was six p.m, and then I made a delicious risotto and seared some scallops, and it was quite a decadent Sunday supper. And now, having cleaned the kitchen, run the dishwasher, put away all but the last load of laundry, and messed around sufficiently on the internet, I think I'll go to sleep - goodnight!

is anybody out there paying attention

No blog tonight - I had a nice afternoon in Katie's back yard before snow returns tomorrow, and I got some tings done around the house this evening, but now I'm totally wiped out and falling asleep on my couch, so it's time for bed. Goodnight!

these eyes will not be blinded by the lights

I had a long day - usually Fridays are a little quieter, but I had seven straight hours of meetings, which made eating and thinking and using the bathroom a little harder than usual. One of my meetings was five hours long, but it was gracious enough to allow for a fifteen minute break, which I used to take a walk down the block in an attempt to maintain sanity.

But the meetings all ended up okay in the end (or at least I survived them) so that's all fine. Then I ran some errands, including a trip to Nordstrom to pick something up + a trip to Whole Foods to get enough groceries to get me through the next week. Then I came home, ate some leftover pasta, and watched a couple of episodes of Stanley Tucci's SEARCHING FOR ITALY, which I'm still enjoying. And now I believe I should go to bed - goodnight!

thursday watch the walls instead

No blog tonight - I had a long slog today, full of meetings that were also about managing my emotions while trying to help others with theirs, and those are always exhausting. But I rode my Peloton after work, and I ordered delivery from a new Mediterranean restaurant on Tennyson that is v. delicious and v. promising. The chicken and hummus were delish, so I predict that I'll have a new favorite.

Then I probably should have worked but I was too tired, so I mindlessly watched tiktok videos, did some journaling, etc. And now I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

live from new york

You can probably guess what I did today: I worked. Surprise! 🎉🎉

So I had a million meetings, including a VP presentation, because that's what I do now. But I ended up at five to have a coaching call with Alyssa, which was delightful (with some deeper discussion at the beginning; the killings in Georgia yesterday on top of hundreds of random attacks against Asian Americans in cities around the US over the past several months is terrible, and it's a lot to process and deal with, especially when these issues are sadly nothing new).

Then I talked to my parents while reheating some of last night's pasta, which was still delicious tonight since I figured out how to reheat it in the oven without drying it out. And then I did some laundry, painted my toenails, and gave myself a fresh gel manicure while watching a couple of episodes of SEARCHING FOR ITALY. It's Stanley Tucci's travel/food show on CNN about a variety of Italian cities and their cuisines, and I'm so desperate for new food and new travel experiences that watching this was pretty close to torture. But I enjoyed the episodes on Naples and Rome while exercising some self-care, so it was a good evening.

Of course, I couldn't totally resist work, especially since working from 9:30-5 isn't quite enough for my current situation, so I just did an hour of desultory slidemaking. And now I'm going to close my laptop, do some journaling or reading, and go to bed. Goodnight!

shot through the heart and you're to blame

I'm v. tired and I blame work (and maybe the slice of banana bread I had before bed last night, which may not have been the best bedtime snack). Today was a slog, with back to back meetings with my VP and my boss, as well as a lot of meetings in which emotions were discussed, and that always takes it out of me. But I paused at five to stretch and run to Bookbar to pick up a couple of books - the roads are still not amazing and it snowed a bit more this evening, but things are melting way better than I expected.

Then I came home, messed around online, and made a new recipe for dinner - a pasta with italian sausage and swiss chard and a creamy cheesy sauce with enough lemon zest in it to make it sing. It was super easy and quite tasty, and I'm looking forward to leftovers even if pasta leftovers are never quite as good as the original serving.

Then, unfortunately, I had to do some work. And then, stupidly, I messed around online rather than reading or doing anything else to relax. But now I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

lost highway

no blog for you tonight...I slogged all day, with a break to shovel snow over my lunch hour, and then a bit longer break from 4:30 to 7:30ish to meditate, stretch, talk to my parents, talk to [censored], eat some leftover steak, etc. And then I went back to the slog and worked the last four hours - I have too many meetings that require prep this week, and so I really need to find a balance between getting the work done and getting some sleep.

But I capped off my night with a slice of banana bread, so we'll see if my latenight snack was great or terrible (I'm leaning great, and now wishing I could go to latenight dining halls like I did throughout college). Goodnight!

i had a dream, i got everything i wanted

Today was the blizzard that I had expected yesterday - Denver officially got over two feet of snow at the airport, and I would say that my neighborhood is safely at 19" or so. It's truly an insane amount of snow, so much so that it feels unique and picturesque instead of just an inconvenience. It appears to be snowing at the moment, but the winds have died down; when the winds were roaring and it was snowing 1-2" per hour this afternoon, it felt downright treacherous. Apparently this is now Denver's fourth-largest storm ever, and while I'm not looking forward to the aftermath of melting and freezing and general calamity over the next few days, today was actually kind of fun.

I also did my very best to relax today - while I got v. little done yesterday, it hadn't felt relaxing, and I was determined to make today relaxing where yesterday wasn't. I mostly succeeded - I slept more than I have in weeks, and the time change meant I didn't get out of bed until ten. I did some writing and journaling and other forms of recording observations, and I meditated and stretched and foam rolled and rode my Peloton. This all felt pretty great for my body and my spirit. I had some leftover chicken tortilla soup, did some laundry, and talked to my parents - they seemed to be doing pretty well, so that was good to hear. I also baked some banana bread in there - I didn't eat any of it when it came out of the oven, in a remarkable exercise in restraint, but I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.

Then I took a v. long overdue shower before making dinner - I felt like part of yesterday's bad mood was due to the fact that I hadn't had beef in ages, so I cooked a ribeye (using the reverse sear method - heating it in the oven, then searing it in a pan with some ghee), reheated some brussels sprouts in the ribeye/ghee grease, and made frozen french fries in my air fryer. The ribeye and brussels sprouts were perfect; the french fries were too crispy, but I think that's because I only made a single serving and should have cut down the cook time. But all in all, supper cured a lot of what ailed me.

Then I wrapped up the night by folding clothes, making some plans for the week ahead, and reading some more of A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW. And now I'm going to go to bed and hope I actually fall asleep despite the time change - goodnight!

i saw the sun begin to dim and felt that winter wind blow cold

Today was a bust. I'm feeling the 'full year in quarantine' vibes, especially since I couldn't go anywhere today - not that I usually go anywhere, but it's nice to theoretically have the option of walking down the street to my favorite card shop, or drive over to the mall to pick up something unnecessary at Nordstrom. We were supposed to get the biggest snowstorm ever in Denver today, and as of sunset it had maybe snowed 2". Inches, not feet, which is what they were predicting. That said, it's snowing pretty steadily now and the weather forecasts are still saying all that snow is on the way, but we'll see what happens overnight.

sssanyway, I was just not in it to win it today. I forced myself to have a call with Laura (an old coworker from many years ago) this morning since we'd already rescheduled a couple of times, and it was great to talk to her, but I definitely felt like I didn't need to spend more time on videoconference than I usually do. Then I talked to Katie just as the snow was starting to fall and we thought we were in for a blizzard, which turned out to be inaccurate. Then I ate some leftover sausages and polenta and thought about getting some stuff done (aka my taxes), and instead talked to Claudia. She was taking a walk and so we were able to catch up uninterrupted...and then when she got home and Téo was awake, we switched to video so I could see zee baby (who is almost one and is walking, so maybe not quite a baby anymore!). And then after all that effort, I watched tiktok videos and took a nap.

But I rallied somewhat this evening - I made perhaps the best batch of chicken tortilla soup that I've ever made, and I'm v. excited to have those leftovers for the next few days. I did some journaling, which always helps my mood. And then I picked up a book that's been sitting on my shelf forever - A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, about a Russian aristocrat who isn't executed by the Bolsheviks because of his prior service to the cause, but is confined to house arrest for life in a Moscow hotel. I'm not so far in, but I'm loving it so far - but that's to be expected, since I find Russia fascinating (see: my history minor in college, which was mostly classes about Russia and totalitarianism) and also this guy is basically living the quarantine life since he can get things delivered but can never leave and just thinks about redecorating (again, I'm very early into the book, I'm guessing he doesn't just redecorate all the time).

And now, even though I am tempted to keep reading, I think I'll go to bed and attempt to set myself up for success with the time change. Goodnight!

shut your mouth, baby, stand and deliver

Today was boring in terms of what I can report to all of you, but I got done what I needed to get done. That mostly involved work; because I had planned to take today off, I only had two meetings today, so that was great. That meant I actually got some work done, which felt v. luxurious. I also took a break to have a call with Alyssa; working out over video is weird, but it felt good, so I guess I'll take it.

And now I'm mostly hunkered down and waiting for snow. I brought my shovel and my ice breaker inside so that I don't have to slog to the garage for them; I am charging my devices and backup phone batteries in case I lose power; I am fully stocked up on the foods and drinks that will keep me happy over the next few days. And I made a delicious supper this evening - the same sausages and peppers dish that I tried at home a month ago, paired with a tasty parmesan polenta (basically grits, although polenta has a different texture and also is full of parmesan).

So, we'll see how the snow goes, but it's not like I don't spend 23hrs a day in my house anyway, so I think I'll survive. This week marked a year since my office shut down, and I've got to say that it was a bizarre sense of deja vu the last couple of days, going to grocery stores that were completely sold out of dairy products, wondering if I would be stuck at home, seeing long lines at liquor stores, etc. - the snowstorm in Denver is basically recreating early pandemic buying patterns, and that's really not an anniversary I wanted to remember in that way. But my buying patterns have probably permanently been broken by the last year, so suffice it to say I won't starve even if I can't leave the house for a month (although I'll get cranky when I run out of coffee and cream).

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

i'll make a cup of coffee for your head

Whelp, I've officially stayed up too late and officially reverted to workaholism. This always happens around performance review season, but it's been particularly ridiculous this week. I worked today from 9am to 5pm (not bad! well actually I lied, many ridiculous things happened, but no more than the average I guess). Then I took a break, put a chicken in the oven to roast, ate some grapes and cheese, and rode my Peloton. While the chicken rested and the brussels sprouts roasted, I took a quick shower. Then I ate a bit of chicken and some brussels sprouts (and all of the skin off the whole damn chicken, like a total carnivore, but I might as well embrace the benefits of having a whole chicken to myself).

The rest of the chicken got picked off the bones and put in the freezer; I'm planning to make chicken tortilla soup soon, but I froze the meat in case I don't get to it in a few days. Then I cleaned up the kitchen, thought about relaxing the rest of the night, and instead worked from 8:30 to midnight. Oops. But I feel better about my to-do list, and I have ample time to work tomorrow (or deal with whatever fires pop up then), so hopefully I can enter the weekend free and ready to party in the massive snowstorm we're getting. Goodnight!

losing you's a win-win

I probably should have gone to bed an hour ago, but I was messing around with my laptop and my #quarantinechef instagram stories. Today was as good as it could be when I had meetings literally straight from 11 to 5, which made grabbing lunch a tad bit difficult (I persevered and ordered a poke bowl). But then I threw in the towel - I talked to my parents, and then I talked to [censored], and then I ate the last of my leftover beet salad and some chicken while talking to Terry about the royals (my favorite topic, although it makes me sad).

Then I decided to get groceries - I had considered going back to Iowa this weekend, but we're potentially getting 2-3 feet of snow here this weekend, and so if I went to Iowa I would need to leave as soon as I'm done working tomorrow. I'm also a bit nervous about that much snow on my trees, especially the tree in my backyard that is lovingly wrapped around my power line in a death embrace. So, I decided to stay here, which means I need groceries to sustain myself for the next few days since I expect I won't be going anywhere after tomorrow night.

So I went to Whole Foods and picked up a bunch of stuff, and I feel quite confident I'll survive (I would have survived anyway with all the food in my basement, but this means I have fresh produce). Of course, if I lose power I will regret that I have food in my fridge, but fingers crossed that doesn't happen. Whole Foods wasn't too busy tonight, although the staff said they had been slammed all day. But the really interesting thing is that I discovered that Katie is right (sorry that I had to discover that, Katie) by going to the Whole Foods by Union Station instead of the one I usually go to in Lakewood - while the Lakewood one is bigger, it also seems to be the main supplier for Denver's online orders, and so shopping there means competing with a lot of employees for stuff. They've often been out of chicken or garlic or other basics when I've gone there...but the Union Station one doesn't get as much order pickup and everything was in stock.

So, I'm as ready as I can be for whatever blizzard descends. And now that I've said that and tempted fate, it's time for bed - goodnight!

how to save a life

Today was a brutal slog - luckily it started by getting the best sleep I've gotten in ages, but then I promptly got neck deep in work and couldn't get out. I had meetings pretty straight from 9:30 to 5, although I had time to pull together my beet salad with goat cheese and pistachios, which was still a total delight. Then I talked to [censored], and then I got dragged back into working from 6:30 to 8. At that point I was ravenous, so I ate some leftover pork and spent a bit of time tidying things up, dealing with personal effects, etc.

But the lure of the work inbox was still strong, so I worked from nine to eleven. This is probably not setting me up for success for sleeping well or being productive tomorrow (which is a shame because tomorrow looks also brutal). But I am operating under the assumption that I will be less stressed if I don't wake up tomorrow in a panic over the work I needed to do. Whether I'm correct about that will be determined when I wake up tomorrow - goodnight!

i'm trying to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful

Today was a bit of a slog, but I blame the fact that I stayed up stupidly late last night watching royal interview coverage (still, #worthit for the family time) and also stupidly drank wine for four hours, which is unusual and really not an advisable way to end the weekend. So, I got approximately six hours of sleep, and most of that sleep was fitful, which did not make for success this morning.

That said, I was able to get up, shower, wash my hair, enjoy my coffee, and do a bit of planning before starting my day, so it could be worse. I slogged through many meetings, then wrapped up in time to take my poor gravel-and-salt-encrusted car to the car wash, where I gave it a bath before my next trip to ye olde Iowa ruins it again. Then I came home, messed around, ate some leftover pork shoulder w/beans, and talked to my mom.

At that point, it was only eight and I was tempted to go to bed - but instead I dealt with some laundry, answered a few emails, organized my thoughts about what work stuff I need to get done tomorrow, etc. Of course, in the midst of that I caught the usual weird second wind that I catch around 9:30pm, and now I feel like I could stay up even later - but that is clearly a lie, and I should go to bed asap. Goodnight!

let's get it started in here

Well, I am certainly awake later than I had planned. Today was pretty productive, from what I remember - I made some oatmeal for the week, journaled, showered, etc. and then talked to Veronica for an hour, which was very much overdue. She was a delight, as usual, and I feel v. grateful to have writer friends who know exactly what a struggle the writing can be sometimes.

Then I spent the afternoon taking care of tings around the house, including another attempt at the harissa-rubbed pork shoulder that I made last weekend. Last weekend's effort was a disaster that was so bad that I threw out four pounds of pork, which is really just a total tragedy. But I was determined to try again. So, I made the rub and put the pork in the oven around one. Then I messed around, did some laundry, and did a couple of hours of day job work to make tomorrow just a little more bearable.

Eventually, the pork was at the right temperature (part of what I didn't like of the original recipe was that she gave a time for cooking it, not a temperature to cook it to, which is really not a good idea when it comes to big chunks of pork). So I let it rest and did some more work, and then cranked up the oven heat, threw some beans in with the pork, and finished it off. The end result was much better than last week - it was actually good, and while I think I could still perfect the technique, I was happy with how it turned out.

Then, as supper ended, I poured a glass of wine....and accidentally watched the Oprah/Harry/Meghan interview twice. I say accidentally because I very much intended to watch it once tonight (I had set a recording and also told myself that if I finished work I could watch it undistracted). But then Adit texted about a live watch as a family, and they were an hour behind me (two hours, actually, since the timezone is an hour back but then the broadcast schedule is even later). So I finished my watch and immediately hopped onto a zoom to watch with Adit / Chandlord / Riturani.

I had a lot of thoughts, but I'm too tired to recap here - basically it's just a sad situation and it's kind of shocking that the royal family (esp Charles) doesn't seem to have learned any lessons in the past forty years. Not so shocking that the palace is full of racist, hidebound courtiers - but shocking that the family didn't do more to figure this situation out. Anyway, it was v. interesting to watch, and it was entertaining to watch it a second time with the family (I did my nails while watching the second time, so at least I have something to show for it).

After the interview was over, we debriefed (and Priyanka joined)...and now it's after midnight here and I desperately need to sleep. Goodnight!

everybody, everybody, let's get into it, get stupid

I'm thoroughly exhausted and falling asleep at ten p.m. It doesn't help that I haven't been sleeping well (quantity or quality) the last few weeks - and then staying up so late to read a book last night pretty much doomed me. I woke up this morning at my usual time, but that meant I'd only gotten five hours of sleep; I stayed in bed for awhile, but my sleep was fitful at best.

So, I am not ashamed to say that I took two naps today. I also went to the grocery store - it was a gorgeous day out, so it was nice to get out of the house with the windows rolled down. At some point this afternoon, I also took a walk around the neighborhood - tomorrow is looking equally pleasant and I hope I can take advantage of it.

My main activity was cooking some of what I bought - I was in the mood for something different, something I might have ordered at a restaurant, and so I made a roasted beet / goat cheese / radish / pistachio salad, and it was exactly what I was in the mood for. I roasted a whole chicken to go with it - oddly enough I have never roasted a whole chicken before despite my #quarantinechef prowess, but I used Ina Garten's method bc I find her to be v. trustworthy, and the chicken turned out as well as she had promised it to.

So, my dinner was excellent. While everything was roasting, I talked to my parents, who seemed to be in fine form. Then I ate supper, cleaned up my kitchen, ran the dishwasher, and took care of a variety of tings.

And now I'm falling asleep for real and wondering whether it's time to throw in the towel...goodnight!

try, try, try to understand, he's a magic man

I have officially stayed up past my bedtime, which I will perhaps regret in the morning. Today was a slog - I had more meetings than I prefer to have on Fridays. But I stopped working at four and hung out with Katie - she came over for a backyard hangout, but we turned it into a front yard hangout because my backyard couches were too damp and the front yard gets more sun in the late afternoon.

So I dragged some folding chairs out front like we were sitting awkwardly at a wedding, and we ordered a quarter of margaritas + guac + tacos from El Camino. There are few things that I will miss about this wasted, wretched year, but getting a quart of margaritas delivered to my doorstep has definitely been a highlight. It was slightly too cold to be hanging out outside, but Katie and I have become accustomed to these hardships, so we shivered and talked and caught up for a couple of hours. We had much to discuss - I was in Iowa for the first three weeks of February and she was in Iowa for the last one, so we hadn't seen each other in over a month. And at least sitting in the front yard gave us a change of scene, even if we looked moderately trashy drinking margs and sitting on my front lawn.

After Katie left, I talked to my parents and also talked to [censored]. Then I thought about playing Civilization, or perhaps doing some other mind-numbing activity. Instead, I picked up a book called MAGIC FOR LIARS and then read it straight through in one sitting. It was basically a magical murder mystery set in a high school for wizards (but they are called mages in this book). It was certainly not the best book I've read this year, but it was entertaining enough to suck me in for a few hours, so I'll take it.

And now, I'm going to take myself off to bed and hope I sleep in long enough to make up for the lateness (but not long enough to keep me from being insanely productive tomorrow, which I need to be). Goodnight!

she wants a young american

Today was a bit bizarre. It started as normal and progressed as normal through most of the day - I had coffee, journaled, showered, had a whole bunch of meetings, ate tuna salad on toast (one of my go-to stress meals), had a whole bunch more meetings, and slogged straight until six in an effort to hit a deadline.

Luckily I hit the deadline just in time to switch my work laptop into a fun zone. I had a virtual wine tasting tonight with a group from work - it was something that one of the VPs I work with had auctioned off in a charity auction over the holidays, and I was one of the ten people who won the auction. She organized a virtual wine tasting that was actually quite lovely - I was sent a box with eight wines, each in a little individual bottle (187ml each, which is the equivalent of a six-ounce pour). The theme was Down Under, so all the wines were from Australia and New Zealand. The host was really fun, and the work group was as entertaining as it can be when you get together with a VP over video chat to drink wine for an hour.

I had not initially intended to open all eight wines since I probably can't drink them all before they go bad (well...seven glasses over the next three days or so might do it). But the tasting was fun, and I figured a couple of them wouldn't necessarily be ones I would want to finish, and I was right. I don't typically like syrahs, and the rosé was weird (it tasted like smoke because of the Australian wildfires, and it was not my jam). But the sauvignon blanc was great, the Australian chardonnay was surprisingly good, and there was a nice red blend + a pinot noir that I adored (so I finished the pinot after the tasting was over).

So all in all it was great, but I basically had the equivalent of three glasses of wine in an hour during the tasting, and while I have been drinking wine steadily in quarantine, it's usually more like one glass over three hours instead of three glasses in one hour. That meant I was tipsy, but I ordered some fancy pasta and pizza from Bar Dough to soak it up (thanks Tipsy Sara for ordering a nicer dinner than usual).

I wrapped up the night by leaning into the relaxation - I turned on Netflix and finally watched ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE, which I should have watched two years ago. It was v. funny and cute, and made me homesick for San Francisco, and I adored it. And now that the wine is out of my system and the yawns are starting, it's time for bed - goodnight!

but he talks like a gentleman

I'm super tired today - my days have been too meeting-filled, and it's taking it out of me. But I had a nice morning before I started working, and my meetings went pretty well (although one ran a full thirty minutes over schedule, which was unfortunate - but I then ate a salad while sitting on my front steps and soaking in some sun, so I'll take it). I was done around six, and then I called my parents, ate dinner, talked to Katie, and spent some quality time putting my bedroom closet back together. I'm not fully done with getting things properly set up again, but my clothes are all hanging in their proper places and that's a huge start.

And now, I think it's time to sleep - goodnight!

sleep just to dream her

I'm way too tired to blog - I did not sleep super well in my guest room last night (sorry to past and future guests if you don't sleep well either), and then I had an absurd number of meetings today. But my painters are done and I've remade my bed and am looking forward to sleeping in it - the paint color looks great and I'm v. happy that my room is now light and airy instead of dark and depressing.

Beyond that, I have nothing to report - my day ended with a virtual happy hour with Vicky, then a chat with my parents, then a chat with [censored] (who may have convinced me to live in a boxcar), and also a chat with Katie. So now that I've written that all down, it's no wonder I'm all talked out and ready for bed. Goodnight!

sea shanty

Things went mostly right today, which was a tremendous relief. My painters showed up exactly on schedule and seemed to understand what walls and ceilings required which colors, which was a vast improvement over the guy who quit before starting the job last time. They got through a lot today, so I'm guessing they'll finish tomorrow, and then I can start putting my upstairs back in order.

Another fun activity today: I got new tires. The tires were timed just right - they've been having shipping delays and had warned me that the tires might not be there on time, but as I pulled up for my appointment, the FedEx truck that had delivered them was pulling away. The tire experience went super well and was approx $500 less than getting them at my dealer, so I was as delighted as one can be while buying tires.

While I was waiting for my car, I caught up with Terry for a bit. Then I picked up a few necessities at the grocery store, came home, and talked to my parents. And then I mostly did nothing - I made a quesadilla with the last of my chicken tinga + a whole lot of guacamole, and then I watched a bunch of SNL from the night that Regé-Jean Page (the guy from Bridgerton) hosted. Why did none of you tell me that there was a sea shanty sketch in that episode????? That maybe would have made last week so much better if I could have watched it every hour.

And now, I am going to attempt the unusual feat of sleeping in my guest room (which is also my Peloton room and also currently is doubling as my closet since all my clothes are piled everywhere). Goodnight!