guess i gotta go and get famous for doing nothing

First day back at work and I didn't exactly have a case of the Mondays, but I'm definitely suffering from some post-covid exhaustion. Today wasn't all that bad, though - I got some work done, and I enjoyed my coffee, and I had leftover fish chowder for lunch. I met with Alyssa at the end of the day, and she determined that my breath is still way too shallow - I'm not noticing it, but I can't fill my lungs as deeply as I should be able to. So, I'm going to ease into some stretches and breathing exercises this week, and we'll see how that progresses.

After I talked to Alyssa, I was really tired and should have taken a nap, but instead I ran (well, drove) down the street to my favorite cheese shop to get some supplies, since it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Then I came home, ordered Thai takeout, waited for it, and was v. disappointed when the order got canceled right as I was expecting it to arrive. So I ordered different Thai takeout via a different app, and when it finally arrived it was quite tasty.

I had intended to write or do something else moderately productive tonight, but I'm too wiped out - so I put on my pajamas and finished reading CIRCE by Madeline Miller. It was a total delight - I'm a sucker for Greek mythology anyway, and this retelling was excellent (and very much about humanity, even if the main character was a goddess).

And now that I'm done with that, I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

i pretend i scraped them climbing in the trees

I think today was the first day since getting sick that I didn't take a nap. That's not to say that I didn't need one, but I didn't need one as badly as I've needed them on previous days. I also left the house for the second day in a row, which was exciting - but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I spent the morning drinking coffee and lounging in my living room. I also, v. surprisingly, fixed my gas fireplace without electrocuting myself or blowing up my house, so that was really exciting. The fireplace hadn't ignited since last winter, even though the pilot light was clearly going steadily the whole time, but I hadn't had time / inclination to find someone to check it. However, I did some research and discovered that the likeliest culprit was that the connectors in the wall switch were dirty or corroded - the fireplace switch takes such little electricity that any dirt or corrosion can potentially stop it from completing the circuit. So, I pulled the switch out of the wall, cleaned the connectors, replaced the switch - and happily, it worked perfectly. So now I have a fireplace to lounge next to, and that makes everything better.

Eventually, I scrambled to shower / eat so that I could run some errands. I took some stuff back to Nordstrom, but I didn't shop at all, so I was in and out of the mall in record time. Then I went to Room and Board and browsed the whole store - I'm daydreaming about couches, and while nearly any couch would be better than the one Marvin left for me in my house in Iowa, I would like to do better than that very low bar. So I sat on every couch in the store and got a lovely associate to give me some fabric swatches. No decisions yet, and of course everything is backordered, but hopefully I'll get a couch sometime this year.

Then, I drove so far into Aurora that it felt like I was basically in Kansas, found a house in a random residential neighborhood, and bought a lehenga for Terry's wedding. I'd found an Indian dress shop on Google and made an appointment for today - the seller runs it out of her basement, but she has some really lovely stuff. I bought the first thing I tried on because it was perfect (and extremely sparkly - I think the skirt has every sparkle that I didn't get to wear during the pandemic), and she's going to tailor it and get it back to me next weekend.

So, that errand was accomplished quickly, and I was delighted. Then I drove home, with a stop at BookBar to pick up an order that had been waiting for me since the covid beforetimes. And then I spent the rest of the evening talking to my parents, messing around, eating fish chowder, talking to [censored], etc. And now, I want to actually try going to bed at a better hour than the after-midnight times I usually go to bed. Goodnight!

i was taken by the sound of a spirit in need

Today felt very much back to normal - I'm still not physically 100% there, but mentally / emotionally I'm ready to be better. I spent the morning hanging out with my coffee and messing around online, mostly trying to figure out some decor-type stuff for my Iowa house. I also made bacon and eggs, and I did a load of laundry, and I took a nap...so so far, that's mostly a standard quarantine Saturday.

However, I broke out of quarantine in mid-afternoon to meet up with Katie and El Camino for a very extended happy hour. It was a really nice day in Denver, so we were able to hang out on the back patio (with heaters) and have margaritas and two orders of nachos and plenty of time to catch up and discuss life. We were there for almost 3.5hrs, and we still had plenty to discuss, but eventually we decided it would be wise to part ways. It was an excellent first outing for my post-covid life, since I love Katie and I love nachos, so hopefully we'll be able to repeat it again soon.

Then I came home (well, Katie dropped me off), messed around, changed into pajamas, and had a friendship renewal call with Joann, Jen, and Jane. And as soon as that was over, I messed around on my laptop a bit more and dozed off like the recovering invalid that I am. So I think I should probably go to bed - goodnight!

you can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart

Today was another step closer to normal - I'm just the slightest bit congested, and I'm still more tired after doing things than I think I should be, but I'm on the mend. It helped that I was done with meetings by 12:30 today - I still had work to do, but I also ate lunch and took a nap, and that helped. And I was even able to shovel a path from my back door to my garage this morning so that it would melt off and not turn into a massive ice problem, so that was more effort than I've expended on anything other than showering in the last two weeks.

I cut off a little earlier than usual and got a mani/pedi - my nails were dire, and I was deeply in need of getting out of my house. I also got a few groceries, since my fridge is completely empty and I've been living on takeout. Then I came home and talked to Katie for a bit to muster a plan for the weekend. I then, v. ill-advisedly, spent two hours making fish chowder - I hadn't cooked anything more elaborate than heating up some frozen enchiladas or making toast or fried eggs in the last two weeks, but the moment I felt like cooking, I wanted to *cook*. It ended up tasting fantastic and was exactly what I wanted, but it took more chopping / stirring / standing energy than I probably should have put into it. And you know I'm still not quite in it to win it, since I used my coravin to extract half a cup of white wine from a sealed bottle to put in the chowder, rather than opening the bottle and drinking a glass of it to go along with the cooking.

But I was delighted by the chowder and happy to be cooking again, so #noregrets. Then I spent the evening reading CIRCE by Madeline Miller - it's been on all sorts of bestseller / recommended lists for years and sitting on my Kobo for awhile, but I picked it up tonight on a whim. I'm probably two-thirds of the way through and so far I'm really enjoying it - I probably could have kept going until I finished it, but I know that staying up until three is not what I should actually do tonight.

So, on that note, I'm going to go to bed and hope I can use this weekend to sleep off the rest of my ailments. Goodnight!

it's hard to believe such a calamity

I would finally say that I'm truly feeling better. I'm still pretty tired overall and I had to take a nap this afternoon, but I had much less headache today and my voice is getting a little more normal. For some reason most of my skin itches, but that could just be because it's v. dry in my house and I never leave anymore. But compared to how I felt last week, I'll definitely take this.

So, I worked all day today, with a break sometime for leftover pho for lunch (and another break for the aforementioned nap). I spent some quality time writing this evening, which felt great. I made a v. sad huevos rancheros (sad bc I realized as I was making it that I don't have any salsa in the house), which felt less great but was at least some sustenance. And I watched some YouTube videos on my laptop, which was a nice break from Queer Eye.

And now, I need to go to bed - I have to make it through work tomorrow and then I intend to spend the weekend attempting to finalize my recuperation. Goodnight!

lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander

I'm feeling better, but I may have slightly overdone it today. I actually sat at my work setup (my dining room, not my writing desk) for the first time since I got sick, and I put on eyeshadow and a slightly dressier outfit in deference to the meetings I had today. However, I took too many meetings (in which several people helpfully mentioned that I still sound congested), and I was completely wiped out by the end of them.

But the day wasn't all grim - I did get up and write for just a little bit before work, which was delightful. I had leftover enchiladas for dinner, and I had pho for lunch, so at least I ate some tasty things (and my taste buds seem very unaffected). Some fantastic writer friends sent me flowers, which are exactly what I need. And I ended the day by spending some time reading SWEEP IN PEACE, the second book in the magical innkeeper series that I started last week - it's only 9pm, and I'm not ready to go to bed yet, but I am perhaps ready to crawl into bed and read a few more chapters before making myself go to sleep earlier than usual. We shall see, we shall see. Goodnight!

nobody knows any better, anyway

I have nothing of note to report - I'm feeling slightly better tonight, but I had a headache most of the afternoon. Again, it's unclear whether that's covid or my life, but I'm pretty sure it's covid. I'm still not working at 100% capacity, but no one else is either, so I think I can take it easy-ish for another couple of days and hopefully be fully recovered by the weekend.

So, that's all, really - I worked, ate some salmon on toast for lunch, and made some enchiladas for dinner. That was super easy, since I'd made them a couple of weeks ago and frozen them, so I just pulled them out of the freezer this morning and cooked them tonight. Somewhere in there I took a nap, which was v. needed. And I should have gone to bed, or at least gotten off my laptop, hours ago, but I distracted myself with looking at things for my Iowa house, which is not urgent but is certainly fun.

And now, I really need to sleep - I do unfortunately have a couple of meetings that I have to be "on" for tomorrow, which means I should probably wash my hair and perhaps wear something other than a sweatshirt. We shall see, we shall see. Goodnight!

sit back and wave through the daylight

I went back to work today, but it's pretty much impossible to tell how much of my malaise is covid vs. how much is just that I would rather be watching Queer Eye than doing my job. I was pretty tired all day, however - I took a shower for the first time in a few days, and that was enough to make me want to take a nap. So I canceled all non-essential meetings, and I took a break in the middle of the day to enjoy my lunch like a normal human + take a nap before the next round of work.

This evening was more of my general relaxing, which I'm getting somewhat cranky about - not that relaxing is bad, but I'm quite tired of my living room. But I ate the last of some leftover Indian food, watched an episode of Queer Eye, sat around, procrastinated, and then took care of a few minor tasks online. And now, I'm tired but don't feel like sleeping, but should probably try anyway. Goodnight!

wear it out, it's getting hot, crack a window, air it out

I am almost entirely recovered from the 'rona, but I occasionally get hit with a blast of fatigue that makes me want to lie down. I only took one nap today (after the herculean effort of finally unpacking my last suitcase from Iowa three weeks ago), but I probably could have / should have taken three. Overall, though, I feel a lot better than I did a couple of days ago, so I would say I continue to be on the mend.

Because of the fatigue, though, I did basically nothing today. I made some coffee, which was the extent of my culinary endeavors. I wrote in my journal, which was nice, and spent a lot of time on my phone, which was less nice. Eventually, I talked to my parents, who were mostly in fine form - my mom seems mostly recovered from whatever she had before, so hopefully they both stay on the mend. I also talked to [censored] for a bit, which was entertaining as usual. And I watched the last couple of minutes of the Chiefs / Bills game, which means I got to see two touchdowns and a field goal, which should not be what one sees in the last couple of minutes of a game.

And now, I think I'll try to go to bed early (for me) - I'm going to do some work tomorrow, but I expect that I will not be fully #inittowinit and will need to take some naps along the way. Goodnight!

some color on monochrome

I'm feeling quite a bit better today - still fatigued enough that I needed a nap this afternoon, and still a bit headachy, but overall much improved. My fitbit also shows that things are getting better in terms of both sleep and heart rate, so that's exciting. I'm definitely not 100%, but I'm also getting very tired of sitting around, so I don't quite know what to do with that other than forcing myself to continue taking it easy.

However, I did do a load of laundry so that I could wear my favorite most comfy things again, and I also trimmed my bangs since I couldn't really see through them anymore. And, I left my house for the first time in a week - I had to mail a check, so I drove through the post office drop off and came home again. That was not a particularly exciting outing, but at least I got it done. I also got a few personal online tasks taking care of, and overall didn't feel quite so sluggish, so I'll take it.

I also took my aforementioned nap, and I took a quick shower, so I'd say the self-care is doing okay. In the evening, I ordered takeout Indian food (delish) and watched another three episodes of Queer Eye. It's just mindless enough that I don't have to worry about a plot or watch them in order, but the stories of the people they feature + the interactions they have while helping someone to rebuild / reshape their life are pretty lovely. So, perhaps I'll watch some more tomorrow - or perhaps I'll do something else before I get bored of this too.

And now, I need to sleep - I've been looking at screens too much, and I'm guessing that's a small contributing factor to my headache. Goodnight!

we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife

I've had a fairly miserable headache all day today, which is apparently an omicron thing (side note: somehow I don't think a tshirt that says "It's an Omicron thing" would sell very well, although it sounds catchy). Luckily, my sore throat is basically gone and my congestion is decreasing, so I feel like I'm on the mend. But the headache is a real aggravation, and I am tired enough that I took an hour nap this morning and took a two-hour nap this afternoon.

This was not, of course, what I wanted to be doing - I wanted to be well enough to pick up a couple of curbside things that have been waiting for me, and maybe cook something. I did shower, and I even shaved my legs, but that took basically all of my motivation for the day. It was snowing lightly most of the afternoon as well, so it was perfect for hanging out on my couch - which is all I did. I made some mac and cheese for lunch (I had other leftovers, but boxed mac and cheese was what I wanted), and I had leftover pizza for dinner, and otherwise I just alternated between napping and watching five episodes of Queer Eye.

So, with that very exciting time behind me, I think I should consider going to bed - goodnight!

spaceman, smoke show, scarecrow, geronimo

I still do not recommend getting covid. I think today was slightly better than yesterday - my throat isn't hurting quite so much, which is v. welcome. However, I've had a headache off and on all day - perhaps some of it is due to covid, but some of it is probably due to the day job. I took today off and I'm preemptively taking tomorrow as well - and I can't remember the last time I took four days in a row off for an infectious disease, so I guess this is not great.

But there was an issue at work that kind of blew up, and I felt like it was in my best longterm interests to fix it. That involved more screen time and more thinking than I was probably capable of, and I also had a video chat with my boss to discuss it, and all of that was just a bit too much. But it's fixed and I don't have to do anything tomorrow other than perhaps answer a couple of last minute questions, so hopefully I can sleep as much as I want. I only got one hour-long nap today and it definitely wasn't enough. When I wasn't working, I mostly showered, snacked, stared into space, texted, and stared into space some more. I also had a quick chat with Terry and Lauren (aka Subz) - luckily I'll see them soon enough in person, since Terry's third wedding attempt is coming up in March. I'm desperate for some San Francisco time and will be superimmune by then, so that's keeping me going.

When I was fully done with work stuff, I zoned out on my couch, drank a Sprite (beverage of invalid champions), and watched a couple of episodes of Queer Eye, which cheered me up immensely. And now, I need to get some sleep - goodnight!

i can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire

I'm still sick; perhaps this blog will become a plague journal like so many great plague journals that have gone before. I don't know that I'm any worse, necessarily, than I was yesterday - but my throat is sore enough that it makes it hard to sleep, so I'm tired and cranky and generally over it.

This meant that I didn't read a book, which is what I should have done - I mostly just alternated between napping, snacking, and doom scrolling, with a little journaling thrown in for the hell of it. I also did a wee bit of day job stuff tonight - that definitely wasn't what I wanted to do, but someone else on my team is also sick and so a thing that's due tomorrow is dangerously close to slipping through the cracks, and so I decided I should probably do something about it.

And now, I'm going to crawl into bed and see if I can sleep for more than two hours in a row before my throat wakes me up (or before I have to pee because I drank too much water / tea to keep my throat soothed today). Goodnight!

i have five clocks in my life and only one has the time right

Well, it's official - the 'rona finally got me. I don't know where or how, and I never will, but sometime last week it slipped through my defenses. I started feeling sick on Saturday night and my test then was negative, but my most recent test was positive. So far it doesn't approach the lofty heights (or, more accurately, deepest trenches) of my worst colds, but it doesn't feel like a picnic either. It doesn't help that Colorado is super dry, so my throat turns to fire if I'm not regularly drinking something - which is what happens when I sleep, so I woke up this morning feeling like death.

Luckily, approximately forty ounces of water helped, as did a whole liter of hot tea over the course of the morning. I also found some Sudafed (the real behind-the-counter stuff) in my bathroom, where Past Sara had stockpiled it during the early days of the apocalypse; luckily it doesn't expire for a few months, and it saved me.

So, I took today off and mostly sat around the house doing nothing. I did order some chicken pho, which was exactly what I needed - I'm glad I gave pho another try after not really liking it when first exposed to it twenty years ago, because it turns out that pho is basically gluten free chicken noodle soup (with rice noodles instead of wheat noodles), and that was what my body wanted. I also took two naps. And I talked to my parents to update them on my status, which was a real sacrifice in between naps (but my voice held up just fine). I also took a shower, which revived me somewhat.

I spent the evening glomming another Ilona Andrews book - this time the first book in her Innkeeper series (CLEAN SWEEP), about a magical inn in some small town in Texas. I'm trying to triangulate on the kind of world I want to build for the project I'm writing, and this put marker in the field of my imagination. I'm taking tomorrow off too, and I fully intend to glom something else, but we'll see what I find.

And now, I need to sleep - sleep, tea, and books are about all I can handle right now, but I think that's exactly what I need. Goodnight!

with their lips on fire and your head unscrewed

I had the day off today, and since I'm still not feeling well, I spent it indulging in not-feeling-well things. That meant that I spent the morning drinking tea and journaling, which was pretty relaxing. I also ordered Instacart groceries, mostly so I could get ice cream (success - I never eat ice cream, but it felt like something I should have today) and orange juice (not a success - they subbed 'light' orange juice for regular, which is an abomination of stevia). But the ice cream was worth it and I got some fresh Emergen-C packets, so all in all it was worth it.

I didn't do much this afternoon, either - I took a nap at some point, which was great. And I spent the evening reading a whole book in one sitting - Ilona Andrews' MAGIC BITES, which came out forever ago and I somehow never picked up. It's relevant to the type of world I might be building with my new project (a fledgling thing that is picking up steam, but I'm still deep in worldbuilding mode and trying to figure out how to shape it). Like I said, I read it in one sitting, with a break to eat some leftovers and another break to talk to [censored]. The book was great, and now I want to glom on to more of the series.

And perhaps that will happen tomorrow - I called in sick and canceled almost all of my meetings, hoping that more sleep will help me recover faster. We shall see, we shall see. I don't feel like death, which is an improvement over most colds I get, but I'm definitely congested and I don't want it to get worse. And with that in mind, I should probably go to bed rather than staying up late as is my instinct. Goodnight!

the god of maine proclaims the last evacuation of the dream

I wasn't feeling all that great today - and in the year 2022, it's impossible to tell if it's malaise caused by news of covid, or malaise caused by covid itself. I tested negative yesterday, so I'm hopeful that it's just general 2022 malaise. But I still took it as an excuse to do absolutely nothing today - I haven't been sleeping enough, and I haven't been relaxing enough, so I decided that's basically all I would do.

So, I drank coffee, messed around online, and did a little laundry because I couldn't totally relax even when telling myself to relax. At some point, I took a nap; I also took a shower, and those things combined were pretty great. And I talked to my parents - my mom seems to be recovering from whatever she had after Christmas, and my dad's foot is still on the mend, so hopefully they continue to do well.

Right as I got off the phone with my mom, my takeout Mexican food arrived - I could have / should have eaten leftovers, but I was craving enchiladas and rice and beans and queso, so that's exactly what I got. I decided I didn't have the energy or attention span to watch a two-hour movie...so instead, I watched four hours of The Witcher. Ha. The first half of the second season is quite enjoyable, even if I do have to have captions on so that I can understand when Henry Cavill is grunting vs. when he's actually saying something.

Luckily, I have tomorrow off, so I can either get things done or I can finish bingeing The Witcher (it's anyone's guess!). For now, I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

undercover russians in a pink rolls royce

I had a lovely first day of the long weekend, thanks for asking. I spent the morning hanging out, and then I eventually ran an errand at the mall (picking up an order at Nordstrom, which resulted in me buying other things at Nordstrom as well). I also stopped at the grocery store to get a couple of things for dinner, and I found a dry cleaner (finally) who will hopefully not ruin the sweaters I stopped wearing during the pandemic.

I spent the rest of the day chilling at home - I made a slower cooker chicken tikka masala that turned out pretty well (although I probably would have tweaked the flavor profile and made it spicier). While that was cooking, I cleaned some stuff up, did some laundry, and did some writing business. And I ended the night by reading some more of the nonfiction tome I'm working my way through, although perhaps I should lighten things up and read some fiction at some point soon.

And now, I need to sleep even though my natural inclination is to stay up until two a.m. - goodnight!

hiding in the radio while we devour the world

I have a three-day weekend ahead of me, and while I'm delighted by that fact, I'm not delighted by the fact that this weekend was supposed to be a friendship renewal girls' trip in Denver and we canceled several weeks ago due to omicron. Stupid pandemic.

sssanyway. I worked all day today, and it makes for a supremely boring post. The highlight was the tuna melt that I made for lunch, which was pretty much perfect. After work, I read too much twitter, but then I forced myself to ride my Peloton - I have not been nearly consistent enough with it since I was in Iowa for approx twenty weeks last year, but it felt good to ride tonight. Then I reheated some eggplant parmigiana, ate, and spent the rest of the evening relaxing / planning for the weekend / journaling, etc.

And now, I should sleep - I don't think I'm getting enough sleep overall, which is hard because I'm a night owl but also need to get up earlier than I would prefer, and that's a dangerous combination. Goodnight!

back alley kid with an american face

Today went much more smoothly than I might have expected it to since I slept through my alarm this morning. But I still got up at 8ish, and since my first meeting wasn't until 9:30, I forced myself to make coffee quickly, then wrote for 30min before taking a v. abbreviated shower and doing my makeup in a similarly abbreviated fashion.

I had a lot of meetings today, since people are reluctantly getting back to work (but also had a couple of meetings canceled because people aren't really in it to win it yet). I took a walk during one of my canceled meetings, which was delightful - I haven't been leaving the house enough, but it was sixty degrees today, which was as perfect as it could be.

When my last meeting ended, I went straight into food prep - I made an eggplant parmigiana, which I was just finishing the construction of when my friend Sara arrived. Actually, awkwardly, a door-to-door solicitor from Greenpeace arrived about a minute before her, and I had to shoo them away in an abrupt fashion.

Sara and I hung out for a few hours - I had some cheese and snacks to eat while we waited for the meal, and then the eggplant dish itself was pretty perfect. After she left, I read a bit, and then started to fall asleep sitting up, so I should probably take that as a sign to go to bed. Goodnight!

just a quiet prayer for congo square

Apologies for the lack of blog last night, but you didn't miss anything - I've mostly been working, or attempting to force myself to work even though everyone's energy is off right now and a bunch of people are out for various covid-related reasons. Today was more of the same - I did take a break in the middle of the day to pick up groceries and wash my car, but that was the extent of the excitement.

This evening, I cooked, but I didn't get to enjoy the fruits of my labors yet; I have a friend coming over tomorrow (unless one of us has covid), and I'm making eggplant parmigiana. To save myself time tomorrow since I have meetings until five, I spent some time tonight making the tomato base + frying the eggplant, so tomorrow I can just assemble and bake it. I also had to do some day job stuff tonight to make up for the fact I took a break this afternoon, and then I messed around looking at pajamas online because what I need more of is clothes that admit defeat and say that I'll be stuck in my house forever.

And now, on that cheerful note, it's time for bed - goodnight!

i know i said i never loved you, but i might just try again tonight

Today was a pretty good day at work, if you ignore one incredibly frustrating 30min block and focus on the whole rest of the day (note: ignoring frustrations is not my strong suit). I also wrote for a solid chunk of time before work, which felt great - I put into practice some of the stuff I listened to in a Masterclass this weekend, so I mostly messed around with worldbuilding for my story, and it was a great use of time.

I also wore red lipstick and a real shirt (one that requires a bra) (although I did wear yoga leggings underneath), and I had leftover chicken enchiladas for lunch, so it's no wonder my mood was pretty solid. At the end of the day, I worked out with Alyssa; this mostly involved stretching and some kettlebells, plus some movements so she could see whether / how my abdomen has healed post-surgery vs. whether I'm still favoring anything in that area.

Then I messed around online, made some beef and black bean chili (my go-to pantry meal), messed around some more, and ultimately read a couple of chapters of THE DAWN OF EVERYTHING, which is so far a really interesting read about the advent of human civilization. It also made me briefly hate-remember some of my freshman SLE classes, so I texted Claudia to reminisce (fun fact for those of you not in the know: Claudia and I met as freshman roommates in the same liberal arts residential program at college, but Claudia dropped the program after the first quarter because she knew what was up).

And now, I should perhaps sleep - goodnight!

all night long writing poems to california, melodies of failure and the people i have thrown away

I had a surprisingly productive day and didn't let the Sunday Scaries get me, so I'll take it. I spent the morning journaling, planning, and drinking coffee, along with some reading of the course material from the N.K. Jemisin Masterclass that I watched part of yesterday. Then I did a ton of housework - I realized that I basically didn't do any housework post-August, since my dad was in the hospital, I had my surgery, and as soon as I recovered from my surgery I went to Tahoe/SF and then spent the rest of the year in Iowa.

So I cleaned out my pantry and tossed some expired things, and I mopped the floor since it was getting grimy. I also washed my sheets, took out a bunch of trash and recycling, cleaned up dining room office (aka the day job office), and did some tidying in my upstairs office (aka the writing office). I feel a lot better when things are organized, so those tasks made me happy; I still need to get a grip on my bathroom and cosmetics situation since I know I have a lot of expired stuff (if I haven't worn it since I last went into the office regularly, it's probably done). But this was all a worthwhile endeavor.

Then, I talked to [censored] as he wrapped up his drive home. I also talked to my parents, although we didn't have a lot to discuss since none of us are getting out and doing things. Then I ate the last of my leftover salmon before having an extended friendship renewal call with Joann, Jane, and Jen - they were all supposed to come out here next weekend for a girls' weekend to make up for the trip to Glenwood Springs that we canceled two years ago, but with omicron on the rise, we decided to cancel again. A virtual call isn't nearly the same, but at least we got to catch up.

And now, I'm going to unwind and go to bed - goodnight!

i remember her, i don't remember me

I had a nice, quiet day, but it sure would be nice if the pandemic ended. It's too easy for me to fall into mindlessly scrolling twitter because nothing else is going on. But I managed to avoid that temptation for most of the day - I slept in a bit, made coffee, read one of the new cookbooks my parents gave me for Christmas, and then made scrambled eggs since I didn't have the ingredients for anything I might have made from that book. I then spent some quality time this afternoon trying to get my house back in order here - this mostly meant doing a bunch of laundry, organizing things in my bedroom, etc.

At some point, I had a long phone chat with California Barbara - we hadn't talked in a couple of months, and she texted me about something, so we ended up talking for an hour. That was a delightful break, and also made me deeply miss my California writing crew. Then, I made a new-to-me recipe for chicken enchiladas - they weren't from the cookbook I read, but rather from a reliable recipe website. I wasn't at all sure how they were going to turn out because the enchilada sauce tasted a little too oily and my corn tortillas were a week past the expiration date (despite having been purchased four days ago) - but they were really delicious and I would totally make them again. I also spread them across three different smaller baking dishes rather than making a 9x13 pan, so I can put two in the freezer and have a couple of meals each when I thaw and bake them at some future date. All in all, Future Sara is v. lucky that I had this foresight.

While I was cooking, and for a couple of hours after, I watched most of a Masterclass by N.K. Jemisin (author of some totally amazing fantasy novels). I signed up for Masterclass last week on a bit of a whim, thinking that watching some writing-related classes might replace the inspiration that I used to get by attending conferences - and while Masterclass can't replicate the real magic of conferences (aka sitting in the bar and getting industry gossip), the lecture itself was pretty thought provoking. There are a ton of interesting writing classes available, so we'll see what I get through in the next few weeks / months.

And now, I should go to bed - but first, allow me to document that yesterday I had a v. long, luxurious dinner with Katie at Bar Dough. We hadn't seen each other in almost two months, so we were very overdue - and I was able to snag a reservation for a private greenhouse, which is a totally enclosed space with heaters and a bluetooth speaker to play your own music. The reservation was supposed to be for ninety minutes, but they let us stay almost three hours - so we had burrata, and then a completely delicious pasta (I ate every bite despite the server selling it as 'big enough for leftovers'), and then a glass of fernet for dessert in homage to my San Francisco life. Then we left and sat in my car outside Katie's house talking for almost another hour. It of course wasn't enough to get fully caught up, but it went a long way.

And now, I'm going to bed for real - goodnight!

cool if the cops aren't invited

No blog tonight - I'm falling asleep (correction: fell asleep) in my living room and should go to bed instead of waking myself up to write something. Goodnight!

i been losing sleep

I had a v. quiet day - I mostly spent it catching up on work, catching up on housework, and catching up on life. It's snowing outside, but inside it's warm and cozy, and my house is starting to return to some semblance of order now that I've returned.

However, of course, I managed to stay up too late doing nothing. So I think I'm going to try to get to bed as fast as possible - goodnight!

just say the word and i will disappear into the wilderness

I have nothing of note to report tonight. I was distinctly uninspired by going back to work today, but since no one else was inspired while I was out, I came back to almost no fires or other things requiring my immediate input. That was good, especially since I had a doctor's appointment today (setting up a new primary - luckily I liked her). I also picked up a grocery order since my fridge was extremely empty and we're supposed to get snow tomorrow.

Then I slogged, with a break for a poke bowl for lunch (my traditional "I'm back from Iowa" meal). I ended the day by talking to [censored], then a coworker, and then ordering Thai food and relaxing on my chaise lounge. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

if you're a fly gal, get your nails done

I'm back in Denver for the first time in many weeks (not counting the three-hour layover I had here on the way back from Hawaii in mid-December). Today was a v. long day - I had to load my car, close up my house, and drive 10.5hrs to get here. But I was v. efficient in the drive - I stopped for gas three times (Mt Ayr, IA; Gothenburg, NE; Keenesburg, CO) and one rest stop, but otherwise subsisted on two travel mugs of coffee + a cooler with a sandwich and coke zero + a bunch of popcorn.

Along the way, I alternated between music and podcasts - I'm still loving SmartLess (Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Sean Hayes), and I listened to them talk to Sandra Bullock, Woody Harrelson, and Jimmy Fallon. I also listened to several Brené Brown podcasts, including a two-parter with the guy who wrote Atomic Habits, which may make me read that book. Overall it was an efficient way to get through ten hours of driving, but I came into my house and promptly felt like collapsing.

I did, however, unload most of my car so that things won't freeze, and I forced myself to drink some water and check tomorrow's schedule. I have to go back to work tomorrow for the first time since Dec 6, and it's unclear how brutal that reentry will be - I have too many meetings tomorrow, but it may be easier for me to talk to people to find out what I missed, so I guess I'll take it.

And now, I'm going to try to be in bed by 10pm so I can get a solid night's sleep before tomorrow begins - goodnight!

the future sounds so crazy, we all heard that song before

I had intended to be somewhere in Nebraska tonight, but when I woke up this morning, I decided it was too cold to drive across the frigid tundra (or, more pertinently, to load my car, which requires doing it outside because my garage isn't conducive to loading inside). Also, I still had quite a few things I wanted to get done here. So, I stayed in Iowa today, and I mostly spent it organizing, cleaning, and packing. I also took care of an errand at the world-famous Round Barn, which took longer than I planned, but it was quite fortuitous that I took care of it when I did because I walked into the basement of the big house and discovered a broken pipe spraying water, which was freezing as it ran down the basement wall. Luckily it doesn't appear that anything was too damaged, and [censored] was able to turn off the water, but I'm glad we went there when we did.

sssanyway, I also went to my parents' briefly to check in and say goodbye, and then I spent the rest of the evening digging out part of my driveway so I can leave, eating nachos with [censored], and finishing packing. Tomorrow I have to load my car, clean out the fridge, and do a few other tings, but I'm hoping to be out of here by eight (which probably means nine). But that requires going to bed immediately, so I think I should sleep - goodnight!

i fly or i fall

Happy new year part two! Today was a v. lazy day - we got several inches of snow in Iowa, so I holed up inside and did just about nothing (which was exactly what I needed). That meant getting up at ten, making coffee, cleaning and reinking a fountain pen, etc. At some point I eventually showered, but that didn't happen until 1:30pm. Then I watched the rest of the Iowa State / Baylor basketball game - the Cyclones are shockingly good this season given that last year was the worst year in school history, but it wasn't quite enough to overcome the #1 team in the country.

However, while the game was exciting, I was more excited about making a perfect plate of nachos using some cheese I had liberated from my parents' house yesterday. I spent most of the afternoon messing around, although [censored] and I did accomplish two important tasks: mounting the TV and putting up drapes in the living room. This means that we can watch TV in comfort + that we can close the blinds instead of putting up an elaborate array of boxes and styrofoam to block the big bay window ([censored] understandably doesn't like people driving down one of the main roads in town to be able to see straight into the window at night).

Eventually, I made chili for supper (verdict: great but I made it slightly too spicy), and then [censored] and I watched 'The Matrix Resurrections'. It was a real trip - I have deep nostalgia for the original trilogy, and I really enjoyed how they brought it back and twisted it in new ways. So, that was a nice way to end a lazy day, although I'm not ready for this to be the end of my extended break.

But now, I need to sleep - I have to load my car and take off sometime tomorrow, which means sleep is probably important. Goodnight!

it was rare, i was there, i remember it all too well

Happy new year from ye olde Iowa! Today was mostly spent preparing for the winter storm that is rolling in to start the new year - we're supposed to get 9" of snow tomorrow, with wind chills below zero, and I believe it because the wind is already turning brutal outside. So, I tried my best to accomplish things today - I did a bunch of stuff around the house, did a couple of loads of laundry, and made delectable scrambled eggs. I'm v. happy to report that my living room looks awesome - the paint color is perfect, and the finish looks really great. However, my wrists are on strike and do not want to paint anymore, so [censored] and I abandoned the thought of painting [censored]'s bedroom this weekend, which is a good thing.

I also went to the grocery store, donated a ton of soda cans (you can get redemption money for them in Iowa, but I didn't want to go to the redemption center), hauled a bunch of trash to my dad's dumpster, and wandered around my yard pulling flags from where my dad had called in locates for my utilities in November. Now we know where the utility lines are buried, which is helpful - and pertinently, they are not buried in the path that would be required to run power out to my gazebo, so that may be a project for this spring.

However, by the time I did that, it was really starting to cool down, which made it an unpleasant task. I also went to the lumber yard to pick up a paint sample to test on my office, and while I was waiting, someone (locals would know him for his auction action) came in wearing a mask (unusually; I've never seen anyone wear a mask in the lumber yard) and then casually drop that he has covid after we'd been talking for five minutes. So I guess 2022 is going to continue along the lines of 2021 for the near future.

sssanyway, after I was done with all my tasks, I went out to my parents' house and made dinner - a v. tasty chicken mushroom parmesan with mashed potatoes. [censored] and I are holing up at my house for the snowstorm tomorrow so that we can work on tings and be closer to various equipment and services if needed, but we had a v. nice dinner before the storm arrives. Then we came back to my place and watched some TV to ring in the new year - Michael Che's comedy special, followed by a random mockumentary called "Death to 2021" that was a recap of everything that happened this year, which was pretty hilarious.

And now I need to sleep so that I can get things off on the right foot for 2022 - goodnight!