everyone's a winner, we're making our fame

I should not have stayed up to work until 11:30, but that's the way it goes right now. Today was a brutal meeting slog (starting at 8:30, ending at 5:30, with two 30min breaks), but I survived (thanks to a poke bowl delivery). Then I took a break in the evening - I ate dinner, did some laundry, finally planted my last plants that I bought a couple of weeks ago, read twitter, and gave myself a fresh gel manicure. So the work didn't pick up again until 9:30, and then I couldn't help myself in terms of what I absolutely had to get done.

But now I can go to bed, push hard through tomorrow's similarly heavy meeting schedule, have some fun, and then coast through Friday before the weekend begins in earnest.

And now, before I go to bed, I shall document that Adit, Ritu, Chandlord, Claude, and Jess had dinner in Oakland (jhokeland) at Arthur Mac's last night. They sent me a picture this morning wondering if it even happened if it wasn't documented on my blog - so voila, it's now part of posterity. And I am jealous, but my time in San Francisco is coming eventually. Goodnight!

late nights in the middle of june

No blog tonight - I have nothing to report; I didn't get enough sleep last night because I stayed up too late staring at screens; and I don't want to make the same mistake tonight (especially since I have meetings pretty much straight from 8:30-5:30 tomorrow). Goodnight!

i've been waiting for the tides to change

It's Monday, and a fairly uninspiring Monday at that. However, the day went pretty much as planned from a work standpoint, which I will take. And since I had a relatively light meeting day, I secretly absconded to a Starbucks in the late afternoon - it was my first time working in a coffee shop in almost sixteen months, which was bizarre in its own right. The clientele was also bizarre - a girl came in from the patio to complain that a man was staring at her, and a barista had to go out and talk to him (but he must be a regular, because the barista called him by name, and the barista didn't seem to make any attempt to shoo him off). I often err on the side of sympathizing in this kind of situation because I've seen my share of creeps in the world - but the girl was wearing a dress that was literally see-through and also cut so low that I was pretty sure I could see areola, and also I had previously vacated the patio without looking at her because she was loudly listening to music, so my sympathies are pretty dim. But this is a good reminder that 1) leaving the house is good for people watching, but also 2) leaving the house means running into weirdos.

sssanyway. After my excursion to Starbucks (which I made to beat traffic), I went over to Caroline's to hang out for awhile. We had a drink on her patio, then had dinner at a chicken and waffle place in Lafayette. I did not have the waffles, but I did break my gluten fast with some chicken tenders. They weren't really worth it as I thought they were a little dry, but the fries were good and Caroline's company was excellent.

Then I came home, took care of some tings around the house, and did some day job work. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

the water is warm, but it's sending me shivers

I had a lovely day - it started a bit quiet because I was so tired and so stayed in bed until after nine, but then I rallied, ate some oatmeal, took a shower, and drove to Colorado Springs to see Barbara. We hadn't seen each other in several months, since I've been in Iowa a lot and have generally not been available in person or virtually recently, so we were way overdue to catch up. I met her at her permanent house, which she has temporarily vacated for a massive renovation - the renovation is getting close to done, and the kitchen is so gorgeous that it makes me want to demo and redo my kitchen immediately.

So, Barbara gave me a tour of her house, and then we went out for brunch. The food and the juice at the place we went were really good - I haven't had breakfast out in awhile, so the skillet hash hit the spot. Also, the waiter was a little hilarious in an almost-too-much way - he complained deeply about how much some other tables were demanding of him, but also offered to add vodka to my juice if I met him in the employee parking lot. I'm taking that as a sign that nature is healing and that I will get back to my usual 'odd interactions with strangers' game as soon as things open up just a bit more.

When we weren't dealing with the waiter, Barbara and I had a delightful, meandering conversation about life and writing, which is what I always enjoy about spending time with her. We went back to her house and hung out some more, and I would have liked to stay all afternoon - but it was raining off and on and I was flagging, so I said my goodbyes sometime after three and drove back to Denver. On the way, I talked to my parents and was shocked to hear that they were about to eat some of the boneless skinless chicken breast I left in the freezer - I'm hoping this isn't a sign of some dire personality shift.

I basically collapsed into bed and took a nap as soon as I got home, which is not what I normally do at six p.m., but that's what I did today. Then I made myself some boxed gluten free mac and cheese, which is not exactly a delicacy, but it hit the spot. I also planned some stuff for this week, did some laundry, and talked to [censored] about our plans for next weekend, so at least I salvaged some productivity tonight.

And now I think I'm going to fold towels and then perhaps read and go to bed - goodnight!

blink three times when you feel it kicking in

I had a pretty lovely, lazy day. First up was a pedicure - I think I've found my new spot and my new person, which is great since this place is 8min from my house and is not, instead, 'conveniently' located five minutes from my office in Boulder. Since I haven't even driven to Boulder since sometime last year, I don't really feel like picking up the habit again just to get my nails done.

Then I drove over to Sloan's Lake and had lunch with Laura and her husband and son. She's my old boss/coworker from a million years ago who lives in San Antonio, but she's in the process of moving to Denver, and they were in town this weekend to finalize some details on their new build. So, we grabbed lunch at the Tap and Burger in Sloan's Lake - I've never been to that little strip of stuff before, and I thought it was cute. We had a lot to catch up on, which we did over burgers + some very awesome cauliflower 'wings' (basically cauliflower fried and coated in buffalo sauce, which was really tasty).

Then I came home and was lazy the rest of the day - I took a long nap, cleaned up my kitchen, tidied some things, did some laundry, etc. And I started reading a book. And that, honestly, was pretty much it, and I'm glad that's all I did because I needed a break.

And now I need to sleep and hopefully not let myself get sucked deeper into this book - goodnight!

danced to death at an east side night club

I have once again stayed up past my bedtime - I can theoretically sleep in tomorrow, but I have not been sleeping well enough to give me much confidence that sleeping in will happen. Work today was pretty good - I had a good meeting with the big boss and a bunch of other meetings in the morning, but I had three free hours this afternoon and was able to cross some tasks off my list.

I also made dinner tonight - at lunch time I marinated some chicken, and so for dinner I just had to bake it. It was, of course, a little more complicated than that - I made a spicy, sticky chicken with pineapple, and I also made rice and roasted some broccoli for the side. I've made it once before, but this was quite delicious (albeit spicy) - and it's pretty simple, other than cutting up the pineapple, which isn't exactly hard.

After I made dinner, I watched last night's episode of Top Chef so that I could stay caught up before the finale next week. Then, I had a v. extended call with my friendship renewal crew (Joann, Jane, and Jen) - they've been in touch and have actually seen each other in person recently, but with all my travel to Iowa I've missed a bunch of calls. So we had a lot to catch up on, and it was a nice way to spend Friday night.

And now I need to sleep so that I can enjoy my weekend - goodnight!

when the leaves turn brown

No blog tonight - I slogged all day, then watched three more episodes of Top Chef to get caught up with the season. Now I'm not caught up because I didn't watch the episode that aired tonight - but I wanted to catch up in time for the finale next week to avoid spoilers. This season is so good and I want to go to all their restaurants.... But right now, I need to go to bed instead. Goodnight!

might not work but i'll take a maybe

My schedule is totally screwed up, as evidenced by the fact that I did nothing most of the evening and then worked from 9ish until now. Today was fine, overall - I had a bunch of meetings, ate some fancy cheese and cured meats for lunch, had a bunch more meetings, and ended the afternoon with a call with Alyssa. Then, as I said, I did nothing - I mailed some things, reheated some leftover pasta, and watched three episodes of Top Chef so that I can try to catch up in time for the upcoming finale. But eventually the drumbeat of things that I need to get done for work caught up to me, and I worked until now.

But I feel better that I'm entering tomorrow not quite so far behind, and hopefully I can disconnect and get some sleep. Goodnight!

manifest a ceiling when you shy away

I had a mostly normal day, but there were some weird bits to punctuate it. I unfortunately had to start my meetings at 8:30, which is an hour earlier than I like to start, so the morning was rushed. And I started with three one-on-ones, then a ninety-minute strategy session....and then I went straight into a team fun event, which involved a virtual drag queen performance while playing bingo and making cocktails. Part of my team is in Europe and so it's impossible to find an event that works for everyone, and making a cocktail (which I only had a few sips of, but I wanted to show it was okay if other people wanted to) at 11:30am is a little ridiculous. But I'm sure the person who just joined my team and is on her second day at the company decided that this is the most amazing place ever!

sssanyway, after that I ate lunch while sitting in the sun, which was the best part of the day. Then I had meetings and worked the rest of the day. I ate some cheese and salami to tide me over while I talked to my parents, and then I messed around on my phone, and then I eventually made a late dinner (the tuscan kale and sausage pasta that I've made before - it wasn't quite as good as usual, but it sufficed). And then I started a book (SUNNY SONG WILL NEVER BE FAMOUS) - it's a YA novel about a teenage YouTube influencer who gets sent to a digital detox farm in Iowa for the summer. Hilariously, the author seemed to pick *my actual county* off the map to set it in (Promise City does seem like the right name for a town where a digital detox camp is located, but the actual Promise City doesn't have much going on), and nothing about it is at all accurate, but I'm enjoying the story so far.

And now, I think I should go to bed - goodnight!

if the world would only know what you've been holding back

Today was a fast and brutal slog - I have a lot going on at work, and I should have done some stuff this weekend and did not. So, I worked all day with basically no breaks. But I did sign off around 5:30 to get ready for dinner, and then I picked up my friend Kelly and we went to Rioja.

When I go out in Denver I almost never bother to go downtown, since Katie and I usually stick around our neighborhood - but Kelly and I were talking about the need to try other restaurants, so Rioja was our first attempt. It's on Larimer, and that block has been shut down to traffic and feels very festive, with lots of outdoor seating for lots of restaurants. All in all, it was a delightful evening - I wasn't quite as impressed with the food as I thought I would be (my halibut was slightly overcooked, and I didn't care for the dessert - but I'm really not a dessert person anyway). But the ambiance was fantastic, and Kelly and I had a really good time, so it was a v. fun excursion even if it was v. weird to be out on a Monday.

Then I got home, relaxed for a bit, and worked for the last hour and a half to get through some stuff for tomorrow. And now I really should decompress and go to sleep - goodnight!

touch it, bring it, babe, watch it, turn it, leave it, stop, format it

I thought I was lazy yesterday, but I was also lazy today. That means I should probably get up early to get some work done in the morning that I had intended to do today, but I'm not too worried about that. And I suppose that getting some sleep today (between sleeping in + taking an hour-long nap around lunch) was what I needed more than anything.

I did do a bit of writing this morning, and I did three loads of laundry, and I cleaned out my fridge. I also planted multiple planters of stuff - I have planted all but one planter of stuff that I bought over the last couple of weeks, so if I can get that done in the next couple of days, I'll feel pretty good about it. I also talked to my parents, picked up pizza (that should have been groceries + cooking, but I am not in the cooking mood right now), and then spent a long time talking to [censored] while he drove home.

And now I should probably sleep if I'm going to get tings done tomorrow - goodnight!

homecoming parade as we renegade

I had a somewhat lazy day, but I'm pretty sure that's what I needed. I didn't totally get out of bed until after ten, since I stayed up so late reading last night - but my sleep from eight to ten was fitful, since my body is getting old and isn't used to sleeping in anymore. I'm sure it could get back to its preferred 2am - 10am cycle if given half a chance, but I need to go to bed immediately so that I don't accidentally reset to that and then screw up my whole work week.

Anyway, I finally got out of bed, had some coffee and a bagel, and made some lists of things I needed to do + wrote a bit in my journal. Then I got a haircut - it was only my second haircut in the past ~2yrs, which is odd since I used to go to the salon in SF every 3-4wks to get my bangs trimmed professionally. My hair is still long by normal standards, but I took off 3-4", so hopefully the worst of the overgrown weediness is gone.

Then I came home and almost immediately left again - I walked down the street to El Camino, which is my favorite nearby Mexican place, and had a mid-afternoon solo happy hour with nachos, margaritas, some very good journaling about my current writing project, and time to finish the book I started last night. I've deeply missed going to bars and writing / reading / people watching, so this was a good way to ease back into that. And I've also deeply missed nachos, which were not a good takeout food, so this fulfilled several of my desires.

Then I came home, attempted to tell myself to be productive, and instead took a long nap. And then I actually managed to rally into some productivity after - nothing too exciting, just paying bills and taking care of various tings online. And now I really do need to sleep - goodnight!

come sail away

I'm deep in a book hangover, which I've made worse for myself tonight. I woke up this morning just in time to shower quickly before starting my meetings, and then I slogged pretty hard all day. When I was done around six, I was done done....so I ordered takeout and finished the book I started last night. Then I promptly bought the next book in the series and read most of it too. And who knows - maybe I'll read all weekend, but I also need to do some gardening and writing and cooking and day job work and peloton, so we'll see.

But now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

don't stop make it pop

I should have gone to bed an hour or two ago. But after work today (which was good, but long), I didn't feel like doing anything at all. I did convince myself to write for thirty minutes, but then I ate some leftovers, started a book...and, as usual, sat unmoving for the last four and a half hours reading it. This is why I do not start books on school nights (and rarely on weekends).

But that's a problem that Tomorrow Sara will have to deal with - right now, it's time for bed. Goodnight!

ricochet, you take your aim

Another day, another recognition that I will not quite get done everything I want to get done. Today was a lot better than yesterday from that perspective, though. I didn't write before work, but I got a bunch of other stuff done before slogging all day (and having a meeting with the big boss somewhere in there that went well).

But I was in meetings pretty straight from 9-6, then talked to Katie (who is in the wilds of Iowa, which means we have to catch up over phone calls instead of tacos), then talked to my parents, then talked to [censored]. At that point my jaw physically hurt from talking too much today, but I had more things to do - I ran to the pharmacy, came home, tidied a bit, and then did an hour or two of day job stuff that I had been putting off.

And on that note, I need to sleep so that I can recover in time for tomorrow - goodnight!

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

The Sunday Scaries that I mostly avoided over the weekend have somehow morphed into Tuesday Scaries, which was a very unwelcome development. Things weren't bad today, all in all - I wrote before work, and my meetings were all fine. But I was not feeling particularly motivated - there are a lot of things up in the air right now, and navigating that + gossiping with people took most of my energy.

After work, I sloughed off and talked to Terry, which is always welcome. Then I should have eaten the salad I made last night, but I ordered thai food instead. I also rode my Peloton - my legs were a little tired from yesterday, so it made for an unnecessarily hard ride, but it felt good to do something (and not do it in the hundred+ degree heat outside).

Then I painted my nails, talked to [censored], and took care of some personal activities. And now I need to sleep - I would like to write tomorrow before work, but I also have an earlier start time for my first meeting, so we'll see what I accomplish. Goodnight!

do interviews on mental health, how i'm living the dream

Today was my first day back at work post-vacation, and it went about as well as first days back usually go. I did manage to get up and write before work, which was wonderful. However, what was not wonderful is that I somehow forgot to take my contacts out when I went to bed last night, and so my eyes were sensitive enough that I had to wear my glasses today. Wearing my glasses in the daytime always makes me feel like I'm about to take a nap, so that probably didn't help my lackluster productivity.

But I made a smoothie for breakfast and made a quinoa tabbouleh salad with grilled chicken for dinner, so at least I had that going for me. It was my first time using my grill this season, so I had to do a bit of cleaning to get it ready, but my chicken turned out perfectly. I also ran a couple of quick errands (mostly to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things that I couldn't get yesterday), did a bit more work, and read twitter / journaled.

And now I'm going to go to bed and hope that I can repeat the writing feat tomorrow while perhaps managing to get some other things done too - we shall see. Goodnight!

nice to meet you where you been

As I expected - nay, planned for - I had a v. unproductive day today to make up for how productive I was yesterday. However, I didn't really feel significant Sunday Scaries - I probably should have, but I've avoided a lot of work emails over the past two weeks and so don't feel connected enough to worry about whatever I'm getting into tomorrow. Hopefully the reentry won't be too brutal...

Since last night's shenanigans kept me up late, and since I heard my friend Sara leave relatively early this morning (she snuck out quietly, but I heard the chime of my security system tell me that the front door opened), I stayed in bed and lazed until my heart and body didn't want to laze anymore. Then I ran to Starbucks to get iced coffee, came home, and spent most of the late morning journaling / planning / contemplating while sitting on my patio.

Eventually it got too hot to be lazy outside, so I moved my laziness inside. I did, at some point, decide what I'm cooking this week and order groceries, since my fridge was completely barren (confession: there were vegetables in the veg drawer when I got home from my travels, but the squash/zucchini were so rotten that they fell apart as I was pulling them out and I had to wash the whole bin. clearly having a separate veg drawer that I don't see unless I open it can cause some problems when I'm cleaning out the fridge pre-travel...). I also talked to my parents, who seemed to be in fine form. And, happily, I rode my Peloton for the first time in a couple of months - I would say my calf is almost fully healed, and so I felt pretty safe attempting a bike ride, but I took it easy to avoid turning the occasional twinge into a full-blown reinjury. Hopefully now that it's healed and I'm back in Denver for awhile, I can get back into Peloton and get some exercise.

I then spent the rest of the evening taking care of some personal business tasks. And now I should go to bed - it's earlier than I usually go to bed, but I want to get up and take a walk and/or write before work, so early bedtime seems like the right call. Goodnight!

keep me second guessing

I'm typing this on my phone, so it will be quick - but I had a v nice day in my own house, with some fun socializing at the end of it. I spent most of the morning doing yard stuff - I trimmed things, raked things, and cleaned things. I also planted most of the plants I bought yesterday - I still have a few things left and need to decide if I'm going to put them straight in the ground or get a couple more containers, but I'm happy with what I accomplished. And my patio furniture is reconfigured for non social distancing - I am considering getting a small table so I can eat outside more easily, but we'll see.

Then I showered, changed bedsheets, and generally tidied up until my friend Sara arrived. We haven't seen each other in person in over a year - she was one of my last houseguests last year, and we talk at work a lot anyway, so in some ways it felt like no time had passed. But we had many things to catch up on, so we hung out for over six hours - first on my patio, then dinner at Fifth String, then more time in my living room. We've both worked at our company for like a combined 25+ years, which is crazy, and so we had both new and old stories to keep us entertained.

Also, Fifth String was basically as amazing as when Katie and I went - Sara had fried green tomatoes that certainly weren't gluten free but were incredible. I ignored my gluten issues tonight and had pasta, which was also a delight - I may regret it tomorrow, but I'm hopeful.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

playing too much of that dr dre

I'm back in Denver, safely ensconced in my upstairs office, where I spent the last twenty minutes making a list of all the things I want to get done with my two days of remaining freedom before my vacation is over. Of course, there's no way I can accomplish everything I actually want to get done, since that would require writing two books and finishing ten house projects and relandscaping while also taking baths and doing my nails and riding my peloton and pursuing other forms of vanity. But there are some solid things that I can knock out this weekend while also letting myself enjoy the sun and heat and last minutes of relaxation before I enter 'chaos girl summer' (as I described my current work situation to a coworker today - I would prefer a hot girl summer, but chaos may have to do).

sssanyway, I woke up this morning a little loath to get out of bed, but I finally forced the issue, got up, and took a shower. Then I had my last breakfast at the ranch - it was a leisurely morning on the patio, and my tanner-than-usual arms indicate how intense the sun is up in the mountains even when I'm out in the mid-morning and slathered in sunscreen. After breakfast, I threw my things into my suitcase and checked out of the hotel - I'm sure I'll go back someday, either with work or for another retreat-type excursion, but it felt good to head back to my own house.

The drive back wasn't quite as bad as the drive up, mostly because the return trip usually keeps you in the lane that hugs the mountain rather than the lane that zips merrily alongside the abyss. So, I made it back to Denver without incident (but without finishing the venti cold brew that I picked up on the way out of Fraser, since I didn't quite feel like drinking it while navigating switchbacks). I had a bit of time at home to eat some lunch (tuna dumped out of a can and mixed with some mayo and pickles - not quite as fancy as my last couple of days, but it certainly tasted good), and then I went over to Kelly's to hang out for a little bit since I probably won't see her for a month. Then I went to a greenhouse and loaded up on plants - I didn't really feel like going, but I do feel like planting some annuals in containers, and I figured that tomorrow the greenhouse would be slammed.

After that, I came home, ordered a pizza, took care of some business, and then walked to pick up the pizza. I also talked to [censored] and to my parents while sitting on my own patio - it needs some cleanup and I need to leaf blow and do some trimming of various things, but it's nice to be back.

And now I should sleep so that I can make the most valiant attempt possible on my to do list tomorrow - goodnight!

now i drive alone past your street

My vacation is rapidly coming to an end, but I'm attempting to hold on to it for as long as I can (which is approximately 68hrs before the Sunday Scaries set in in earnest). Today was pretty lovely and relaxing, all in all - I got a lot of sun, did some journaling, had some coffee, did a bit of stuff required to keep my life going (#adulting), and got a facial and a massage. Was this strictly necessary? No. But also yes, because I haven't had a facial in over a year, and my skin needed some help and my soul needed a bit of pampering. The spa here is a gorgeous space in what feels like an old barn (but was almost certainly custom built to look old while also being new), and I loved every minute of it.

After being pampered, I hung out on the patio and ate some chips and dip (don't tell anyone, but I prefer AE french onion dip to the onion dip they serve here - the dip is great, but AE is impossible to replicate or beat). Then I showered and spent a bit of quality time in my room, and then I was lured back to the patio - funnily enough, one of my coworker friends (she counts as a friend because we've socialized outside of work) was here for the night with her niece, and so we met up for happy hour. It was nice for me to show the staff that I have friends and am not just some eccentric spinster, and it was also nice to see her and meet her niece. They abandoned me to go shower and unwind, and I had dinner (burrata, which wasn't as good as the other night because they were out of pesto tonight; and a caesar salad with steak on top that was quite tasty).

Then I should have journaled or read a book, but I mostly sat around and watched TikTok. And now I think I'll go to bed early so that I can get up early and soak up the last morning here before I head back to Denver - goodnight!

son of a whore and a scotsman

I have not figured out my entire life on Day 1 of my mini-retreat to the mountains, but I gave it my best effort. Today was glorious, all in all - sunny, warm (but not too warm), and perfect for relaxation. I had breakfast; I walked across the meadow; I laid out by the pool and started SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER, which is a memoir that came out last week to all sorts of (deserved) acclaim. Then I got a massage, because that's what one does here - it was the first massage I'd had since covid started, and it was so amazing that I'm getting another tomorrow.

After the massage, I had a margarita and a salad on the patio while journaling, and then I talked to Alyssa for our usual Wednesday check-in. Then I read some more of the memoir before going for dinner, where I journaled some more. Then I brought a glass of wine back to my room, and I was too intoxicated by the book to finish the wine - instead, I gulped down the last section of SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER like it was the finest libation imaginable. The narrative arc of the book was deceptively simple, focused mostly on her experience as a child in a difficult household marred by a father in prison and a mother who couldn't manage to keep it all together without succumbing to (understandable) rage. But the prose was gorgeous, and there were some interesting questions about what's forgivable, how families engage and model 'appropriate' behavior for each other, etc. All in all, I loved it, and I'm glad I had it with me today.

And now, I should probably sleep - I want to repeat most of these feats tomorrow, but with a different book and perhaps a bit more journaling and a bit more movement. Goodnight! 

playing peek-a-boo with the devil these days

No blog tonight - I had a great day, but I'm super sleepy and am going to indulge and sleep as much as possible tonight. But I made it to my undisclosed location, which I shall now disclose as Devil's Thumb Ranch - I've been here three times before for work events, but it's exciting to be here on my own. I'm planning to read and write as much as possible and try to get my bearings after a truly wacky year, so wish me luck with that. I'm sure two days of vacation is enough to fix everything, right??

And now it's time to sleep - goodnight!

you think that you're space ghost, you're wanted coast to coast

Today was mostly spent in service of the noble cause of leaving Nebraska and getting back to Denver. The trip was totally uneventful - I had to stop a couple of times for gas, food, etc., but the sun was shining and the traffic was super light, so it was a good day for a drive. I spent several hours of it listening to NOMADLAND, which is an audiobook I had downloaded; it mostly talks about all the formerly middle class people who have accidentally become itinerant workers in RVs, often working for little more than a place to park their RVs during a farming harvest or getting some cash via seasonal work in Amazon warehouses. So if you want to be depressed about how you can do everything exactly right and still lose the game as its currently rigged, or if you want to be anxious about whether it can happen to you, this is the book for you!

sssanyway, it's good so far, so I'll have to find excuses to listen to it in my house since I usually only listen to audiobooks in the car. When I got home, I attempted to balance my desire for relaxation with my desire to get some tings done - so I did three loads of laundry, but I also ran and picked up some books from BookBar, browsed a couple of clothing shops on Tennyson, etc.

And now I really need to sleep - I have a full day of errands / driving tomorrow, since I'm taking this week off to have a 'proper vacation' - maybe not proper in the sense that I'm not going to see anyone I know, but at least it's a break and at least I'll have some time to read, write, and relax in the sun. So wish me luck with that and I'll blog from my undislosed location - goodnight!

the story of us

No blog tonight - I'm in a hotel in Kearney, Nebraska, which is not my favorite town of all time despite how much time I seem to spend here. I had a great last day in Iowa, but that meant I got out much later than planned - I didn't leave until five, which is absurdly late for a 10.5hr drive home. But I knew I would leave late enough that that I would have to stop somewhere, and this was a pretty good trip all in all.

So, I need to sleep so that I can get on the road tomorrow - goodnight!

once more you open the door

Today was lovely - one of those perfect summer days with family and good weather. We spent most of the day hanging out with my dad's side of the family - Aunt Kathy, Drewbaby, Aunt B, and Uncle B all came down for the day, and I'm pretty sure it was the first time we'd all been together since sometime around Christmas 2019 (which is a little wild).

So we hung out, mostly on the patio (despite the outdoors causing severe allergies for Drewbaby; my allergies weren't great, but they were nonexistent compared to how badly I react to touching anything that was in the old house). We also had lunch - my dad had ordered a smoked turkey from a neighbor who smokes meat, and my mom made layered lettuce and five cup salad, and Aunt B brought roast beef salad. And [censored] (whom I shall now call Punxsutawney Paco for reasons that don't matter), Drewbaby, and I got some cousin time in, which is always welcome.

Aunt B and Uncle B had to go back to Des Moines for an evening event, but Drewbaby and Aunt Kathy stuck around to have dinner (which was just lunch revisited). They eventually said their goodbyes, and then I came downstairs with the intention of packing, which I definitely didn't follow through on. So now I'm going to go to bed so I can do that in the morning - goodnight!

last great american dynasty

Today was lovely, but I didn't get enough sleep last night and I'm starting to feel it. I spent the day hanging out around the house, taking care of some tings that I wanted to get done here (tings like resetting the wifi, going through some stuff that [censored] and I rescued from the old house, etc). My dad and I also took a trip back into the field to examine the property - it was a perfect day for that, since it's finally warm and feels like real summer, and I'm deeply delighted that it's unlikely to snow on me unexpectedly in Colorado in the next three months.

Tonight, I made Mongolian beef for dinner - the beef turned out excellently, if I do say so myself. And we all celebrated the fact that my dad is finally off his IV antibiotics for the first time in many weeks, which means that he doesn't have to go to the hospital every single day to get an infusion. This is v. good news, and hopefully the forward progress continues.

But now I'm desperate for sleep - goodnight!

so they dug your grave and the masquerade will come calling out at the mess you've made

I'm sleepy and should have gone to bed an hour ago, but I'm also on vacation and don't wanna go to bed, so whatever. Today was fairly lazy, especially compared to the last couple of days - I made some iced coffee and journaled and scribbled some notes to myself, and also did a few desultory things on my task list. But mostly, I didn't do much, and that was great. I did drive out to the lake and sit for awhile, contemplating the past. I also drove into town to get a few groceries, which was fairly unexciting. And [censored] and I drove around a bit this afternoon to examine various things in town; I'm usually entertained by these excursions, since [censored] knows a lot about property in town and I always learn something somehow.

In the late afternoon, I prepped some accoutrements for dinner, and then I talked to Alyssa for awhile. After that, I finished making dinner - I made shrimp tacos and ground beef tacos, which meant there was something for everyone and also there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The shrimp tacos with slaw and pickled onions were great (I make them on the regular anyway), and the ground beef tacos were also delish (especially because I made guac to go with them). So, that was all tasty and was a worthy reward for my sloth today.

After dinner, I came downstairs and talked to Terry for awhile, and then I hung out and did some tings online. And now I really should consider sleeping - goodnight!

and i speak to you like the chorus to the verse

The old house is officially gone, and I have to say that it's 100% a good thing. Today started early but went as well as it could have gone - I went upstairs around 7:20 and promptly accompanied my dad into town to pick something up, and when we got back the crew was ready to go with the demolition. So I spent most of the day watching that - it was a bit surreal to see someone on an excavator use the bucket to rip through the roof over my bedroom, or tear the porch off the front of the house, etc., etc., but it was also v. satisfying.

The demolition was surprisingly quick, all things considered - as of tonight, the whole house is gone and the site has been smoothed over, and all that's left is to finish a bit of cleanup and spread some fresh dirt on top so that my dad can get his guys to seed the yard sometime. But it was an oddly relaxing morning to stand around (and later sit around, since I commandeered my dad's gater so I could easily drive around the yard and catch the action from various shaded vantage points) and watch the destruction of the house I grew up in.

We saw some occasional things get revealed that we recognized, and somehow my dad's bowling ball and also a crate that we'd taken to/from Ukraine emerged unscathed from the wreckage, but for the most part it was all blessedly quick and easy. And I'll also say that the advantage / total oddness of small town life is that you know so many people - so where in a city this would have been an anonymous, transactional engagement with the demolition crew, in this case the excavator operator was in my brother's graduating class and one of the other two guys was three years ahead of me in school. It was both easy and bizarre to have people we knew tearing our house down, and yet so very different from hiring contractors anywhere else.

So, that was today. I also went it town to mail a package and wash my car, then cruised around the other town and talked to [censored] for a bit (he was present for our house demolition in the morning, but then he went to accomplish other things). Then I came home, took care of some tings, and made dinner - I cooked a v. tasty chicken stuffed with cheese/bacon and wrapped in prosciutto, and it was delish.

And now I'm contemplating sleep, so we'll see how that goes - goodnight!