and now i feel like a blackout, new york city grid max out

I had a v. productive Sunday, which I did not do to upset [censored] (although since [censored] usually does more than I do, I guess any day that I am more productive is a bad day for [censored]). I got up this morning and wrote for awhile, and things are really starting to cook. Then, I did some literal cooking - I made the usual Sunday breakfast, which was as delicious as it usually is. [Censored] and I ate while watching coverage of last night's White House Correspondents' Dinner, which was a good replacement since SNL wasn't on last night. And we watched some John Mulaney clips while digesting, which was entertaining.

Then, I cleaned the kitchen (including dusting all the doors and cabinets). I also washed the pendants, which needed it - putting oversized clear glass pendants in was a great design choice, but they show grime quickly, and that's not good considering that I'm usually pretty lazy. But they're clean now, so I'm pretty pleased with myself.

I also did a brief peloton ride, wrote a tiny bit more since I'd had an idea while cleaning, and took a shower. Then, [censored] and I picked up Mexican takeout, which was great except for the fact that they forgot to give us our tortillas. I had corn tortillas in the fridge, so I was fine, but [censored] had to make do without, which was pretty tragic.

Then I did some stuff for the mural festival, which involved a mail merge (and [censored] v. graciously loaned me a laptop with Word on it so I wouldn't have to figure out a janky mail merge workaround in Google Docs). I got all the envelopes printed that I needed to print, so I'm hoping I can get this mailer out tomorrow.

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

we go-bots and robots, so they got to wait 'til the show stop

I had a fairly productive day overall. I was out of my room by 8:30am, which apparently shocked [censored], which was hilarious to me. I spent the morning writing some pages and then writing a newsletter, so I felt good about that. Then, [censored] and I had lunch, and I took a brief nap to make up for my earlier productivity. And then I had a meeting about some mural stuff (on video), and took care of some other random tings.

At some point, I actually left the house - and not just the house, but the county. I drove to the next county over to have dinner with my friend Hannah - we hadn't seen each other for months because we both suck at making plans, especially in winter, but it was her birthday a couple of weeks ago, so we went out to celebrate. It was excellent to see her, and we caught up over some pretty tasty burgers, so it was well worth the drive.

Then I came home, said hi to [censored], and have messed around online while watching tv. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

deep in my bones i can feel you, take me back to a time only we knew

I apparently forgot to blog last night - I blame the headache that I had all day, and that continues (albeit better) today. My allergies are killing me - unless it's covid, but I guess I'll find that out if [censored] gets 'allergies' a couple of days from now. But I'm pretty sure it's allergies, since I'm itchy in addition to congested and headachy, and I don't think itchiness is a covid symptom (but idk). We'll see!

Anyway, yesterday was pretty uneventful, although I did make dinner using ground beef and a sauce packet that promised 'Thai krapow', which I have renamed 'Thai Maidrite'. It was actually pretty tasty and extremely easy, so I would eat it again, especially since it was gluten free and it can be hard to find gluten free premixed prep sauces. I had it again for lunch today, as did [censored], so at least I didn't have to make lunch.

Today, I unfortunately didn't write despite having some killer ideas yesterday afternoon. Instead, I did some mural festival stuff in the morning, ate lunch, and took a nap in deference to my headache. I wrote a little bit of non-book stuff this afternoon, then talked to Veronica (who was in fine form). And then I made dinner - salmon teriyaki with roasted broccoli and rice, which I haven't made in awhile, but is always delicious. [censored] and I also watched a bunch of comedy stuff, mostly related to the late great Norm MacDonald, so that was entertaining.

And now, I need to sleep since I do want to get some serious writing done tomorrow (at least in the morning) - goodnight!

high on the roof, thin the blood

I had a headache pretty much all day, perhaps verging on migraine-ish (although I don't know if my headaches qualify as migraines). I blame the fact that I had to stop taking my allergy meds because I have an appointment with an allergist next week, and so I woke up feeling as congested as if I had a cold, even though I do not.

I did successfully get up and write and do some stuff and go to a meeting for my mural project, so at least I was able to fake it until then. But then I came home, ate lunch, dozed, and generally deferred to my headache's desire to do nothing. I did finish reading the book I was reading last night, and it was excellent, but my headache returned in force. At some point, I decided to sit on my balcony with a blanket and my notebook and avoid looking at screens for a couple of hours - while I did not actually write, I daydreamed a lot, and my headache felt better.

Eventually, I made myself some boxed mac and cheese, which is not a dinner of champions but was better than real cooking. Then, I read a book - an on-paper book, which was better than screens, but still probably not what my headache needed. I got through 2/3 of a book called THE BOOK EATERS, which is a rather grim and depressing fantasy about some people who get all their sustenance from eating ideas (either in print form, or by sucking out people's memories). I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I will finish it because I want to know what happens. And if the last two books I read were excellent for triangulating what I want to write, this one is probably excellent for nudging me away from something that's too dark and bleak (but I think I already knew that).

And now, I need to go to sleep and hopefully get over my headache - goodnight!

get drunk on the good life, i'll take you to paradise

I had quite an unusually productive Monday - usually Mondays get to me, but I somehow powered through this one. Granted, I slept until after nine, but that's a given. I wrote after I got up, then did some desk stuff, and then showered before having lunch with [censored]. Then, I slogged most of the afternoon - I had some stuff to do for the mural festival, so I mostly focused on that.

At some point, I ate dinner with [censored] before he drove to [censored]. After that, I took my trash to my dad's dumpster, emptied my dishwasher and did some other lowkey tasks, and then spent another hour or so working on the thing I was trying to finish. And then I rewarded myself by starting a new book - EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES, which showed up on a list of new fantasy books to read (although it actually came out in January). It's the perfect companion / antidote to the heavy AI scifi that I read the last couple of nights - it's about an explorer / scientist who goes to far northern Scandinavia to search out some faeries to complete her encyclopedia, and then her love interest shows up (who might actually be one of the high fae), and then everything kind of goes to hell in a delightful way. It's all told through her journal, which I don't normally love as a construct, but this one is well done.

So, I read for three hours, which is one hour more than I intended to and about 90mins less than I want to because I really am itching to just finish it tonight. But I need to do some stuff before a meeting tomorrow, and that means I need to go to bed, so I am going to attempt to restrain myself. Goodnight!

maybe then i'll fade away and not have to face the facts

I slept pretty late this morning because I was up until almost two last night, but #noregrets. I poured myself some cold brew and wrote for an hour as soon as I got up, which was good for everything except my carpal tunnel. Then, I made breakfast for me and [censored] - the usual scrambled eggs and hash browns, but they were particularly tasty today.

Then, I procrastinated pretty hard for a couple of hours. But I also cleaned the kitchen and washed my sheets, so it wasn't all wasted effort. I also answered some email - not all the email I should have answered, but enough to make me feel just slightly more caught up. Perhaps I'll continue that trend tomorrow!

After that, I made supper - the semi-usual-for-Sunday burrito bowls. I added some spicy Spanish chorizo that needed used, and I increased the rice/salsa/liquids a bit because I had more chicken than usual, and it all turned out perfectly. High on that success, I decided to end the evening on that note -- and so I came up to my room and finished the book I was reading last night (INFINITY GATE). It was book one of two in a series, and the next one won't be out for a year, which is a bummer. But it was really excellent - a lot of interesting inferences on AI and personhood, with some strong characters and great writing/dialogue. I ruminated a bit on the book today - my own book has some AI elements, but it's more fantasy, whereas this was definitely pure sci-fi (despite the talking rabbit). So I'm still playing around with how I want my book to read, and it would be nice to figure it out sooner rather than later, but we'll see.

And now, I'm going to push myself toward going to bed at a relatively reasonable hour so I can get some tings done tomorrow. Goodnight!

i hate to bug you in the middle of dinner

I have v little to report - the weather is ridiculous and v cold, which has put me in a somewhat sour mood. Despite that, I did write as soon as I woke up, which was a good thing. I tried to do a bit more writing after fueling myself up with coffee and yogurt, but it was slower going - still, anything is better than nothing.

At some point, I had the last of my leftover chicken tacos for lunch. I also cleaned the living room - dusting and vacuuming aren't my favorite tasks, but at some point they have to be done. [Censored] and I grabbed takeout from the Mexican place for dinner, and we timed it pretty well to avoid the traffic related to the high school prom. And then, I considered watching some tv with [censored], but instead came upstairs and read a book. I have now stayed up at least an hour longer than intended, but the book is quite good - it's called INFINITY GATE, and it's got some interesting stuff going on with multiverses and AI that is interesting and also mildly relevant (in topic, not in storylines or voice) to what I'm working through.

I really just want to stay up and finish it, but I also have a headache and know that sleep is probably a better idea - so I'm going to do the v. adult thing and go to bed at the very civilized hour of 1:30am. Goodnight!

a short stretch at the embassy

I got up this morning and wrote in bed before I did anything else, which was helpful -- less helpful is that writing by hand in bed tends to aggravate my wrist almost immediately, but at least I get something down before picking up my phone or getting distracted by anything else. I did get slightly distracted by the robin that I'm still mildly at war with, but otherwise, it was a good way to start the day.

Then I did some stuff for the mural festival - I wrote an article for one of the local papers, which I think went pretty well. Then I had lunch with [censored], who got some [censored] from next door since I was eating very coastal-bougie avocado toast with fried eggs and [censored] doesn't like avocados or eggs (I hope that's not violating too much of [censored]'s privacy to share).

I spent a bit of time cleaning up, took a shower, and then went with my dad to investigate new phones for him since his current phone is too old to get updates. This took a bit of time, but things are mostly squared away, except for the fact that we had to order the phone and so can't get it until Monday. Also, the sales person took away from our conversation that I'm an unemployed bum and not that I used to work for the company that made the phone we bought, so I did a good job of staying uninteresting and incognito.

Then, my dad and I went down the street to a Ukrainian grocery store that I found solely because I was looking at the map around the phone store. I knew there were a lot of Ukrainians in the county north of us for unknown-to-me reasons, and they used to have a store on the square, but they moved to a new location and it's really nice. There was a lot of stuff that is no relation to standard American cuisine (would you care for some birch sap to cure your liver after too much vodka?). But they had a great salami / kielbasa counter, a wide assortment of tinned fishes, some frozen pelminis (which I would have bought if my stomach could handle gluten), some baked goods, and a bunch of other fun and interesting stuff. I bought some salami, and I'll have to go back and explore the next time I'm in town.

Then, my dad dropped me off at my house, and I was here just long enough to do a couple of tings before [censored] and I drove to meet the parents for dinner. Our usual prime rib spot was packed and also weirdly smoky inside, and I had a ribeye instead of prime rib, but it was quite tasty. Then we came home and watched some tv, and now I need to sleep - goodnight!

use baselines to replace us

I had a good day, filled with much more phone / screen time than I am used to. I got up and wrote in bed this morning before doing anything else, which was helpful. Then I made some breakfast, planned to shower and go to the grocery store - and instead talked to my sister for an hour about a trip she's taking this summer + advice on how to navigate the airports.

At that point, it was lunchtime, so I ate lunch with [censored], and then we did an errand to move some tings out of [censored]. Then, I took my shower, did a bit of writing, and talked to my friend Natasha, whom I hadn't talked to in forever. She very accurately shamed me for how I never respond to anything, which is fair and also completely outside my ability/energy to fix, but I do try to talk to everyone at some point every few months / years. Our catchup was otherwise excellent, so I'm looking forward to talking to her more often (or at least in a few months).

Then, I went on my belated grocery store trip, came home, and roasted a chicken. This was a bit of a debacle because it somehow didn't roast as well as I thought it did, and so I had to put it back in the over after it rested, and the potatoes I made alongside them were therefore done too soon. It's rare that I mess up a chicken dish, so I was pretty surly about it (even if it tasted good). Then, [censored] and I ran another errand, I cleaned up the kitchen, and then I talked to Katie for an hour (since we hadn't caught up since before my Oregon trip, which was six weeks ago).

And now, I need to sleep and repeat some of these feats (well, at least the writing feat) tomorrow - goodnight!

I like the way you move

I was feeling blocked creatively today, which is an intensely frustrating feeling that I'm unfortunately familiar with. I didn't entirely let it get me down, and I tried many of the things I know help - I made tasty avocado toast and eggs for breakfast, and I made slow cooker chicken tacos for dinner. I cleaned my room and did laundry. I answered some emails that is been putting off for no good reason other than that I'm perennially blocked on emails. I went outside. I took a shower and put on real clothes. All entirely basic, all easy to ignore when in the throes of despair about my book.

Finally, in desperation, I reread some bits of various writing books - I have a pretty good understanding of plot, character, etc, but it never hurts to refresh, and I often come up with something new. I did have an idea that may be killer for solving a problem I'm stuck on, and I also got some pep talks, so it was worth it. And now, I need to sleep and start tomorrow fresh - goodnight!

and when it came, it was stranger than i had ever imagined

Today had its ups and downs - mostly ups, because it was sunny (even if it was still chillier / windier than I wanted) and I had cold brew in the fridge and also had time to write. Of course, I had to fortify myself with some scrambled eggs before writing, but then I curled up and did a bit of brainstorming. Lunch was leftover winter citrus salad with tuna on the side (inspired by Tartine Manufactory; the candied walnuts that I made to put in the salad are probably the best part of it). Then I spent the afternoon alternating between procrastinating and reading, with a quick excursion to mail some stuff.

Just before dinner, I took out my trash, had an idea, and then wrote four pages in quick fashion, which was great. Then I had leftover pasta for dinner and did very little until now. Writing days are sometimes hard, but I'm hopeful.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

nowadays everybody wanna talk like they got something to say

I spent way more time at my desk today than I wanted to, but I'm happy with what I got done (all financial / business / life maintenance related), so I guess I'll take it. Also, even though it was in the mid-80s earlier this week, we had snow flurries today, which was incredibly unwelcome but made it easier to stay at my desk without feeling fomo.

So, my desk took six or seven hours of my time. I also cooked brunch and dinner, so I think I met my productivity quota for the day. I made french toast for brunch, since [censored] and I were in the mood for something other than the usual scrambled eggs and hash browns. The french toast turned out pretty well, although some of the pieces were slightly too eggy - and I baked some bacon, which was also tasty. This won't replace scrambled eggs and hashbrowns as number one in my heart, but a (side) piece of french toast is a nice change every once in awhile.

For dinner, I made pasta with italian sausage, swiss chard, parmesan, and lemon zest. I've made it before, but I hadn't had it in ages because it's hard for me to get chard here. However, I picked some up in Des Moines last week and it was still good, and [censored] was leaving tonight, so I felt like now was my moment to switch things up. As it turns out, [censored] didn't leave before I was done cooking, and after trying it [censored] ate a full serving, so at least it won't go to waste.

And then, I procrastinated / did crossword puzzles / watched SNL for most of the evening. And now, I need to sleep - goodnight! 

endless nights and neon lights

I had a v busy day compared to my usual funemployed state. I got up early enough to write for almost an hour, which felt great. Then I went into town to talk about the mural project before speeding home to talk to my friend Tanya. We reconnected a few months ago and have talked a few times since, and we had another great convo about life (which is easy bc despite not talking in fifteen years, we still have a lot in common).

Then I had a leftover burrito bowl, helped [censored] move some [censored], had a brief convo with the mayor (who pulled in to see what [censored] and I were up to), and then helped my dad with a phone issue. Then I cleaned my balcony, which needed it after an ongoing war this week with a robin.

As soon as I was done with that, I showered and went to the parents' house for dinner, where I also helped my mom set up a new tablet. And now, I really need to decompress and sleep - goodnight!

i can see the sands on the horizon every time you are not around

I have had a busy couple of days, and I am not used to being busy, so it's been an adjustment. Yesterday, the conference continued from 8:30 to noon, so I sat through the remaining presentations, which I mostly enjoyed. Then I ran some errands in Des Moines (mostly stocking up on bougie groceries and organic meat) and drove home. I got here in time to unload my car before going into town with [censored] to have dinner at the Mexican restaurant - we usually do takeout, but I had a meeting in town last night, and I didn't want to drive to get takeout and then drive back an hour later.

So, we ate our usual orders at the Mexican place, which is always better in person since it's absurdly hot and tasty as opposed to lukewarm and tasty like the takeout it. Then, [censored] came home and I went to my meeting (secret society, nothing else to divulge).

Today, I had to get up and get around earlier than I wanted to - I had a call with someone at nine, and then I had to go into town to debrief about the conference and then have a meeting about the mural festival. I was home by 1:15, and I ate leftovers before having a call with Heather (aka dear respected madam). Thus feeling entirely overstimulated, I dozed and did some crosswords for a bit.

Then, I made a valiant effort to write - I didn't get many words, but I had a flash of inspiration that my end up solving my current block, so I intend to explore that more tomorrow. Then I made dinner - the usual burrito bowl, which is always tasty. I know at least a couple of you want the recipe and I have not forgotten, but it's not written down anywhere (I have made it up out of a couple of other recipes + trial and error). I do need to write it down so that [censored] can inherit it someday, but it's not happening tonight.

Then, I sat around and chatted with [censored] and procrastinated / relaxed, and now I need to consider going to bed. Goodnight!

pulling against the stream, pulling against the stream

My day started with a Starbucks venti cold brew with cream, which is an unexpected delight in my current life. It also started with putting on a blazer and real pants instead of a tank top and joggers, so this was quite the feat. I made it to the conference in time to pick up my badge and rendezvous with the other two people from my county, so I felt pretty good about my ability to be professional despite being utterly out of practice.

The conference itself was pretty good, I guess. The first speaker was the new head of Extension, who has been in the job exactly six days, so his presentation was a bit fluffy and a good reminder of the value of faking it until you make it, but he seemed nice enough. The next keynote was about food security, and I liked her overall, but I suspect she was somewhat polarizing to the crowd (and her suggestions were things that need to happen at a national legislative level related to the Farm Bill, not things that I can go back to my county and do). And then there were several breakouts of varying utility, along with a lunch where the lieutenant governor spoke (and I liked him quite a bit and wished he were the real governor, since he seems less interested in being a VP pick or highly paid Fox News commentator than our current governor has morphed into).

So overall it was pretty interesting, but I'm oscillating wildly between being eager to get involved and feeling like maybe my talents would be better suited elsewhere. I can get excited about rural issues and feel like there's a long-term investment to be made that will yield results in ten, twenty, thirty years....and then I open twitter and am reminded that Iowa is trying to overturn the previous ban on its no-abortion-after-six-weeks bill. What that *really* means is a woman has two weeks to realize she's pregnant after a missed period if she doesn't want to keep it, since pregnancy weeks start at the date of the last period and not the date of conception. Worse, if she wants the baby but miscarries poorly, she's likely to have a horrific time waiting for the long-dead baby to turn septic and put her life at risk so that the hospital can avoid liability for the D&C rather than providing the woman with the standard medical care for miscarriages that preserves her ability to have children in the future. This is already happening in other states with 'fetal heartbeat' (which is, by the way, not a heartbeat) abortion bans, and it's a tragedy that Iowa is headed down this path.

So, the governor's "we're all for individual patient and parent rights, except we're really not" nonsense makes me immediately think I should move. It feels a little hopeless to be someplace where the government is pushing through things like school vouchers and abortion laws that 65+% of the population disagrees with, and primarying members of their own party who chose to take stands in previous cycles against the most egregious of these laws. And it feels especially hopeless when two of my county's biggest selling points are its hospital and its schools, both of which are likely to be negatively affected in the next decade by what's happening right now.

But that's an issue beyond tonight. After the conference, I was in need of some solo time, so I found a nearby restaurant and holed up with my journal. I ordered some crispy potatoes, and it turned out that was literal, since it was just four whole potatoes cut in half and crispified, which was a little much. Then I had a caesar salad with some salmon, which was a good balanced for the potatoes (which I did not finish). And now I need to sleep so I can wrap up the conference tomorrow - goodnight!

i've been dancing on top of cars and stumbling out of bars

I'm unusually still in Iowa but not at home - I'm in Ames, which is where Iowa State University is, and I'm spending a couple of days up here for a conference on rural economic development. It started this afternoon with a welcome reception, which I spent the first hour at - and I'll be interested to see what I get out of the conference.

As soon as I left the reception, I drove south a bit and picked up Aunt Kathy, and then we met Drewbaby and his girlfriend at a Thai place in Ankeny. It's nice to be able to see them in a somewhat impromptu way, and dinner was quite tasty. When I took Kathy home, I hung out at her place for a bit and we continued to chat over a v tasty gin and tonic, which I didn't finish but certainly wanted to.

Then I came back to the hotel, settled in, and realized I have to go to bed absurdly early (11ish!) if I want to get up in time to have an easy morning. So, it's time to sleep - goodnight!

we always walked a very thin line

I was pretty lazy today, but I did make an excellent breakfast, so I think that should count for something. I also spent quite a bit of energy cleaning out the flower bed around my flagpole - it was choked with grass because I did nothing with it last year, but I wanted to see if there were still any hostas hanging out in the undergrowth. The good news is that my neglect didn't kill them off, because they're starting to shoot up. The bad news is that I'll probably be sore tomorrow, and also need to eradicate some tree of heaven, which is my least favorite noxious plant.

At some point, I went out to my parents' to drop something off for my dad and also avail myself of their 80 acres to dump my weeds (and to take it a step further, I didn't even trek anywhere to dump them myself - I just dumped my buckets into the back of my dad's gater, alongside their weeds from their own garden). Then I said farewell to [censored]. And then I wrote on my balcony for an hour - v slow going but better than nothing.

After that virtuous display, I wasted the rest of the night, but it's fine. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

and i am terrified of weather 'cause i see you when it rains

I was just a wee bit too lazy today, but #noregrets. The main task is to get into bed asap, since I'm failing at my goal to go to bed earlier, which is why this morning wasn't quite as glorious as I had intended for it to be. The weather is gorgeous, especially for April - still a little chilly today, but this week looks like it's going to be unreal. So, hopefully the weather will get me in the mood to write deeply and productively for the next few weeks.

Still, I managed to write for an hour or so - I'm stuck on something and I don't know what, so it's like slogging through molasses, but I trust the process and hopefully I'll figure it out soon. I did some other office/house stuff, made avocado toast with fried eggs (my secret favorite that I had half-forgotten in my move to Iowa, but I could eat it every day), and continued to alternate between chores, crossword puzzles, and helping [censored].

Then, we went out to the parents' for dinner - my dad grilled brats, and my mom made potato salad (the first official potato salad of the year) and baked beans, and it was all v. tasty. We hung out for awhile after, and then I messed around online when I got home, which is exactly the opposite of how I should spend my time. So now, I'm going to go to sleep (pinky swear) - goodnight!

i'll dream each night of some version of you that i might not have, but i did not lose

I'm questioning some of my life decisions because my day started off with a mammogram, moved into dinner with my parents, and ended with watching an episode of 'Wishbone' with [censored], which is really not a combination of things that a 41-year-old should probably do on a Friday. I like to think that I'm hip and cool, but this does not bode well for my aging process.

sssanyway, it was a good day overall. The mammogram was routine, and I was in and out pretty fast thanks to the fact that I didn't have to wait any length of time for any part of the check-in / exam process. Then I drove around the county a bit on a whim before coming home, eating some leftover pad thai, and spending the afternoon being productive. I wrote for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and then I cleaned my office - I still need to dust and vacuum, but it's pretty well organized at this point, and I'm at the point where I can start putting up art and tying together some other loose ends.

Then, I met my parents for dinner - they took me out to the place where we usually get prime rib (although my dad got fried shrimp), and it was pretty tasty. We also discussed the state of AI (artificial intelligence, not artificial insemination, which is the big AI business here since livestock semen is always in demand), among other topics. And then we parted ways, I came home, [censored] arrived shortly thereafter, and somehow went down a 'Wishbone' rabbit hole that I do not understand but also didn't mind following for one episode.

And now, I need to log off immediately if I'm going to be in bed by midnight (and I really should have been in bed at eleven) - goodnight!

it's getting harder to breathe, so baby put me to sleep

I meant to be in bed two minutes from now, which will probably not happen - I am trying to ratchet my bedtime back to a more reasonable hour (like, eleven instead of two), but it's difficult because I always get a second wind around 10:15 and then I'm up all night. But beyond that foolhardy endeavor, tings are going well.

I got up this morning at a reasonable hour (nine! so civilized!) and made coffee, ate yogurt, etc. Then I wrote for awhile - nothing particularly amazing, but I did some research that gave me some good ideas. And then I spent several hours cleaning while listening to an audiobook by an archaeologist who is into magical belief systems. The audiobook was hard to stay focused on, although I gleaned a few things (and intend to keep going now that I'm past a lot of meandering intro). But the cleaning was more necessary, since my bedroom was messy and everything needed dusted / vacuumed, and my bedroom is approximately the size of Chandlord's studio (I'm not kidding), so I had a lot of surface area to clean.

However, I accomplished my cleaning in time to run out to my parents' house and visit them for awhile - they were in fine form, so we chatted for awhile before I came back to my house. Then, I talked to Caroline (my old coworker), who was also in fine form. And then I made a second attempt at pad thai - last weekend's pad thai tasted good but the noodles were terrible, so I wanted to try again. Tonight's was somehow off in a different way - the noodles were much better, but I think also much bulkier somehow despite being the same weight, and so the noodle to sauce ratio was off for my liking. Also, I made it with pork instead of chicken, since pork is what I had in the fridge - the pork was quite tasty, but again, I wish it had slightly more sauce. So, I'll have to try again, but at least the leftovers are edible compared to the last attempt.

After that, I cleaned the kitchen, finished tidying up my bedroom, and then did an hour and a half of book research. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

the wind outside is frightening, but it's kinder than the lightning life in the city

A thunderstorm swept in right before I started to write this - not entirely unexpected, since it reached almost 90 degrees today and now it's dropping into the 40s, but the timing isn't ideal since I'm trying to convince myself to start going to bed earlier and this certainly doesn't encourage me to sleep.

However, the day was mostly okay - it took a noticeable turn for the better when the sun came out, since I really do not feel very motivated when the skies are gloomy. But I got some stuff done this afternoon, which was a welcome development. I also had my first balcony writing session of the year - since it was almost ninety degrees, I felt like I had to sit outside. Luckily, my balcony is on the north side of the house, so the house blocked most of the wind from the south....but the wind still picked up enough to roll swaths of dust across my yard, and my keyboard felt just the slightest bit dusty by the time I was done writing. The words were slow to come, but I had a potentially excellent idea or two today, so I'll take them.

I boycotted cooking tonight, so [censored] and I had leftover burrito bowls tonight (after carefully rationing them by eating other things for lunch - I had leftover Mexican takeout from Saturday and [censored] had leftover spaghetti sauce). Then we watched a comedy special and some other tings, and then I came upstairs. I finally got my weather radio set up so that it will wake me up if there's a tornado, and I also did some planning for the rest of the week.

And now I need to go to bed if I'm going to start my new "go to bed earlier" goal tonight - goodnight!

in the blinking of an eye, that moment's gone

I made a valiant attempt to write this morning - but after cutting some things and adding some other things, my grand total word count for the day was one (1). Still, it was better than nothing, and I'm eager to get back into it tomorrow - the first day after a break is always the hardest, and while I did write while I was in San Francisco, I didn't write last week after getting back, so today was a recovery day.

I also did some other computer-type stuff this morning, and then I ate lunch with [censored] - last night's pad thai was still gummy, but the chicken was great and the side of broccoli was excellent, so I powered through (and [censored] had leftover spaghetti sauce with fresh spaghetti, which was probably a better choice). Then I took a belated shower and ran to Centerville to pick up a bunch of stuff at Walmart - Walmart is not my store of choice, but it's the best option within 40min of my house, so sometimes it's what needs to happen. I stocked up on a bunch of canned goods, but the main draw was my favorite gluten free bread. I still need to do a Des Moines run at some point soon, but this will tide me over until I can get to someplace with produce.

Then, I came home, put tings away, and made burrito bowls for me and [censored]. Yes, this is the second time in five days, but they're easy and delicious, and I jazzed up this version with some Spanish chorizo, which definitely adds something. After eating, I took care of my garbage situation (it is easier to put garbage in my trunk and dump it at my dad's dumpster than it is to wheel my cart across my yard, so that's what I did). And then I watched the men's basketball final - it wasn't exactly exciting and I had literally zero opinions since I didn't watch a single game of the men's tournament this year, but it was something to do.

And now, I should sleep - goodnight!

the near-miss that almost shot you out the blue

I didn't blog yesterday, but you didn't miss much - I already can't remember what I did, beyond making breakfast, spending some time at my desk, and picking up Mexican takeout to eat with the parents and [censored]. Today was a little more action-packed - I woke up earlier than I usually do so that I could chat with someone about hosting a bridal shower. Then, I did some desk work and organizing of grocery lists, and eventually I made breakfast for me and [censored]. Since it's Sunday, I made scrambled eggs and hash browns - [censored] also got them yesterday in appreciation of the food drought that I caused here by my long absence, but usually I only make this once a weekend in deference to both caloric intake and effort expended.

After breakfast (which was really lunch), I did some more desk stuff, and then I watched the NCAA women's title game. The officiating was the story of the game and the technical on Caitlin Clark was beyond absurd, and I also I mostly dislike LSU's coach - but the LSU ladies played an amazing game and were fun to watch. So, after [censored] and I remembered that we usually hate the Hawkeyes, the loss became a lot easier to stomach.

Then, I hate-read twitter for a bit to dig into that technical foul, and then I went outside and cleaned out one of my flower beds that I should have cleaned out last fall but failed to do before the weather turned. And then I tried my hand at making a new-to-me pad thai recipe. All in all, I thought the flavor was great and the chicken turned out perfectly, but the noodles themselves were off because I followed the recipe directions instead of the package directions, which did not work well. I'll have to try again, but it was a valiant initial effort.

[censored] and I ate said pad thai while watching most of last night's SNL, which was perhaps the most consistently funny episode of the season. Then I cleaned up the kitchen, messed around online, and now I should sleep - goodnight!