don't you want to play the beautiful game out in brazil

Happy New Year! I spent the day getting allergy shots, baking, and playing a game of Ticket to Ride with the family (my dad won handily). Then [censored] and I came back to town so that he could continue coughing up his lungs in peace (and also watch a few episodes of Stargate).

Then I wrote in my journal to ring in the new year, and now I need to sleep - goodnight!

she's a magnet pulling me under the sheets

Happy Monday! Today was supposed to be family Christmas, but we canceled due to [censored]'s lingering plague. I woke up this morning feeling not so great. My fitness tracking smart ring (a phrase that would have been incomprehensible back when I was seven and the only medicine around was some whiskey poured into a warm Coke) said that I'm showing symptoms of minor illness strain, but who knows? Maybe I'm strained from continually fighting off a week of exposure to [censored].

sssanyway. Despite not feeling all that hot, I worked most of the day - I have some tings I want to get done before the new year but have also been procrastinating on, so I decided to knock some of them out. I also watched the Iowa State / Colorado basketball game tonight - it was too close for comfort at various points, but it was fun to watch, and it's clear that Big 12 play is going to be as brutal as it always is.

After the game was over, I did another couple of hours of work so that I could send some tings to Adit (no one calls him the cat at work, even if some people theoretically call him the cat elsewhere). And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

caught up in your headlights, frozen again

Apologies for not blogging the last couple of nights - I would attribute it to the head injury I sustained when [censored] shot me in the forehead with a dart gun a few days ago, but I think I've recovered from that (unless I have a secret brain bleed, in which case I haven't). I have had absolutely nothing to report - [censored] is still sick, which means tings are very boring around here. I was looking forward to spicing things up by having some houseguests this weekend, but the houseguests decided that they didn't want to get exposed to the plague, and it was also clear that exposing a plague victim to some houseguests probably wasn't a good call either.

So, our broader family Christmas is officially canceled, which is a bummer, but it was the right call. I was going to spend today and tomorrow cleaning - and I probably still should - but the lack of immediate houseguests made me lazy. Instead, I did a bunch of desk / paperwork-type stuff (still worthwhile!), messed around, ran some errands, and watched the very tail end of the Iowa State bowl game (the Pop Tarts bowl, which was an absurd theme that the Pop Tarts crew really ran with).

Then I made some pasta to use up a bunch of mushrooms and cream that were going to go bad. [Censored] and I ate it while watching the end of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' (still a banger), followed by Nate Bargatze's latest comedy special, which was great.

And now I need to sleep - or perhaps read and pretend I'm on vacation for one night only. Goodnight!

christmas comes this time each year

Merry Christmas! Today was an unusual departure from our usual traditions - [censored] is still pretty sick, but we decided to go ahead with brunch and packages at the parents' house. However, we had brunch at noon and did presents after for the first time in my entire life - usually I have to get up super early (like seven a.m.!!) to open gifts first thing.

So this situation was good for me, even if it still seems likely that I'll get strep or whatever [censored] has - no signs yet though. I made coffee and played Christmas music while I finished wrapping presents, and then we went out to Mom and Dad's. Mom made breakfast casserole and some awesome muffins, which we all enjoyed. And then we opened gifts, and I was delighted by what I got (and also delighted by what I gave). It was a fun afternoon even if we didn't get to play games, and hopefully we can do that another day. 

[Censored] and I came back to my place after that since we decided not to extend the exposure through dinner. I was v lazy the rest of the day - I watched some tv, played on my phone, looked at cookbooks, ate some leftovers, journaled with my new fountain pen (it's extremely hot pink and has extremely hot pink ink to match, and I love it), etc. And now I'm going to read a bit before bed - I have to work tomorrow, which is a cruel jhoke, but I'll survive. Goodnight!

baby it's cold outside

Merry Christmas Eve! Or not so merry, bc [censored] is sick and that has thrown plans into disarray. I got up this morning earlier than I wanted to so that I could get allergy shots. They went fine, but there's a reason they're not a traditional Christmas Eve activity. I also grabbed a couple of last tings in town before coming home.

My afternoon was much more chill than I had planned - I did take care of some work and also some personal stuff, but I didn't make lasagna (our traditional Christmas Eve dinner) because we decided not to do dinner with the parents to avoid exposing them to whatever [censored] has. I also skipped going to Christmas Eve church with my mom for similar reasons. Instead, I finished decorating, and then ate some leftover soup while watching TV with [censored]. I'm probably going to catch whatever he has, but I haven't succumbed yet. 

But now, it's time for bed - goodnight!

go slow-motion, cut it to black

I apparently didn't blog this weekend, which surprised me too - but I've been frenetically trying to prep for the holidays while also dealing with my job getting busier than I expected, which has taken it out of me. Saturday, we celebrated Christmas at my sister's house - which mostly meant getting status updates on my nieces and nephew, while listening to children shriek in the background. There were fewer children than last year and also a new face thanks to some life changes in the group, but on the whole everyone seemed to be doing fine.

After our Christmas celebrate, [censored] and I came home and I made an attempt at kung pao chicken using a spice packet I'd acquired, but neither of us liked it very much, which was a shame. Then we watched some SNL from the previous week, and I attempted to get a million hours of sleep to make up for what I missed last week.

Sunday was a blur - I mostly spent it cleaning and making some feeble attempts to decorate for Christmas, and then I picked up Mexican takeout before watching this weekend's SNL (which was a real highlight thanks to cameos from many former SNL stars/hosts). Today was also a blur - I thought this week would slow down, but my boss takes approximately zero days off a year, and so many meetings with him went on as usual.

So I did a few hours of meetings, took a break to go into town for groceries, and then went back into town for more groceries when [censored] suddenly fell ill and clearly needed some soup to help with survival. Any soup I could make with ingredients on hand is more of a sludge than a soup, so I ran back into town for carrots/celery and made chicken tortilla soup for dinner. This was pretty tasty, and if I succumb to whatever illness has suddenly sprung upon [censored], I'm going to want soup leftovers too.

After eating / chilling for awhile, I came upstairs and did a couple of hours of work to make up for my long afternoon break. And now I need to go to bed and hope I can stave off whatever [censored] is getting. Goodnight!

and all our ghosts get swept away, it didn't used to be this way

I did not slog as incessantly today as I usually do - today was the Garden Club Christmas lunch, and I decided to go to that rather than being a good corporate drone. My mom picked me up and we went to Tracy's house, which was v. well decorated for Christmas (in fact, it was approximately the exact opposite of how much I've decorated for Christmas). Many of the usual suspects were there, and we had a v. tasty potluck before exchanging some grab bag gifts. All in all it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours, and I'm glad I made time for it.

Then I came home, should have worked, and instead didn't get quite enough done because I accidentally took a nap. But I crossed a few things off my list and had one final meeting of the week, so I'll take it.

Then, I bundled up and braved the cold with [censored] to have dinner with the parents in Seymour. We went out tonight to celebrate Mom's birthday, which we accomplished with onion rings and the usual tasty offerings. Then we came home and watched a bit of the most recent SNL. I ended the night by folding laundry, doing the last work task that I hadn't finished today, and taking care of some personal business - so all in all it was a pretty good day.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

hold me fast 'cause i'm a hopeless wanderer

I have once again stayed up too late - but I had a decent day, so I guess it's fine. I slogged pretty relentlessly from 9:30ish to 5ish, and then I took a bit of a break before a 6:30 meeting. Once that was done, I ate some leftover butter chicken and messed around on my phone(s) for awhile. Eventually, I had procrastinated enough, and so I spent the last two hours doing the final bits of work stuff that I needed to get out tonight.

And now, I need to sleep - I have a dentist appointment tomorrow, and while it's not at an ungodly hour, it still requires me to get out of my pajamas earlier than I am accustomed to.

Finally, though - happy birthday to my mom! and also happy birthday to chandlord! I did not see either of them on their birthdays, so at least this year I'm keeping it fair between them. Goodnight!

don't you want to spend it with me

I'm v. tired - I had a good day, but I spent too much of it looking at screens. I journaled over coffee when I woke up this morning, which was great, and then I went straight into slogging. I worked until almost seven, but I took a break for allergy shots (not exactly luxurious). Then I ate chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries (dinner of champions), did some Christmas stuff, and designed my Christmas card (which is a New Years card this year because it's already December 17 and it will not get out in time for Christmas).

And now, after expending all of my creativity on the card, it's time for bed - goodnight!

i've got my contact high, you've got your powdered lies

I woke up in Des Moines this morning feeling like I got a decent amount of sleep, but I need to remember not to stay at the Fairfield - the hotel is totally fine, but the bedding is basically a thin coverlet instead of a comforter, which I hate. But otherwise, my evening / morning were fine. I didn't dilly-dally after I woke up, so I got out of the hotel at a reasonable hour and headed south. I stopped for some groceries, and I probably should have had more coffee than I did - especially since I had to navigate an increasing amount of fog over the course of my drive. But I made it home before noon, so I'll take it as a win.

Once I got here, I probably should have been more productive, but I wasn't feeling it. I talked to [censored] for awhile, went through the massive number of packages that arrived while I was gone, did a tiny bit of unpacking, took a nap, etc. Then I went out to my parents' house to say hi to them and stayed for a bit. By the time I got home, [censored] had disappeared to head north, and so I took advantage of his absence to make butter chicken using a spice packet that I'd ordered from a spice shop that my work friend (not Adit, another one) recommended. The sauce was super tasty, and the chicken was too - but the chicken was a little too well done for my tastes. I followed the directions on the packet, which recommended broiling for 15min, but as someone who never uses a broiler, I didn't know that the chicken by the door might still look fine while the back was charred. It was all edible, and a slight amount of char would be great, but I think I'll cut the time next time.

Despite the overcooked chicken, the dish was super tasty, and I would 100% make it again. After I ate, I cleaned up the kitchen, folded some laundry, and then did a bit of work while chatting with Adit about it. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

I've been drinking from a periscope

I'm back in ye olde Iowa, but I'm not in my house - I landed a little before midnight, and it's foggy and icy, so I decided not to be a hero and to check into a hotel instead. Luckily Des Moines is so efficient that I'm literally in bed, after getting my checked luggage and my parked car, less than an hour after landing, so it could be worse.

My day was generally good, but it got off to a bizarre start - my phone(s) woke me up at 5:45am with a blaring tornado warning. This is a normal thing in Iowa, but this was literally the first one ever in San Francisco. I did not go downstairs because I didn't want to risk getting stuck eleven floors down if the power went out, but I retreated to my windowless bathroom while I figured out the danger level. I quickly determined I was going to be fine, but I was extremely unimpressed by the local news coverage - where Iowa meteorologists would have had a tracker on possible rotation and projected it down to the block level, the SF news caster said, "there's a tornado warning in San Francisco, but the rain is clearing out in the north bay," and then went to a story about the insurance assassin like the weather was of no importance. But I saw enough to tell my friend Jane that she could stop hanging out in her garage, so at least I did someone a favor with my Iowa knowledge. 

After that, I dozed for awhile, then finally got around, grabbed coffee, packed, showered, etc. Then I took an Uber to Hillsdale, where I had a friendship renewal brunch with Jen, Jane, and Joann. We went to Palette for dim sum, and since I hadn't had dim sum in forever, I mostly ignored my gluten issues and went deep. Jen convinced them to make honey walnut shrimp even though they only serve it at dinner, and we had many tasty morsels (including eel wrapped in rice crepe that was very interesting and good, and my beloved braised pork in bean curd, and shrimp dumplings and shu mai, and some tasty little egg custard dumplings, and I even loved the radish cake and the pea shoots, which I can normally take or leave).

We had many things to catch up on and clearly didn't have time for it all, but it was great to spend a couple of hours with them. Then Jane dropped me at the airport and I sped through security, grabbed a glass of rosé, and did some work stuff and personal stuff. Both my flights were mostly on time, which was a surprise given the weather, and I slept and journaled and read through both. 

But now I need to sleep so I can get home tomorrow - goodnight!

I got new rules I count em

I'm falling asleep, but I had a good day - lots of sleep, some coffee, some stretching with my travel theragun, etc. I slogged all day, had lunch and a long meeting with Adit, and then I left, got my nails done, and ran some errands on Fillmore.

I was going to pack and generally chill tonight, but instead chandlord came over and we had drinks and takeout. This was v necessary and I'm glad we made it happen. But now I need to sleep and- goodnight!

song of the yellow, song of the red

I had a v long slog today - there was some stuff launching at work, and so when I woke up at 6:30, I grabbed some coffee from the lobby and then worked extremely diligently and without pause (except to grab another cup of coffee) until 11:30. Then I took a v quick shower, grabbed an uber, went to the office, and walked in just in time to do a 12:30 meeting.

But then I decreased my stress levels by hanging out in the kitchen and eating lunch with several people, which was excellent. And then I had some more meetings / more work, but it was all manageable. One of those meetings was a book club (where I discussed PLAYGROUND again), so I can't complain. And then we had a team dinner - unfortunately it was in San Mateo, and the traffic sucked due to some rain, but I rode down with Timothy, Kate, and Adit, and we had a v. fun time (or at least all of us who weren't driving had a fun time).

The team dinner was in a private room in some hot pot place, which was delish - for those of you who aren't hot pot aficionados, we each got our own pot of broth on top of an induction burner at our seat, and then a whole bunch of meats and veggies to toss into it and flash cook. It was v. tasty, but at some point I stopped caring about the broth and went too deep on several bottles of sake (as did six or ten other people, so I was in good company). We had to meet the food and beverage minimum, and the easiest way was through beverages, so really we were being quite responsible. And we discussed all sorts of absurd subjects, like dental dad cults and whether oysters are smart, so I'd say it was a success.

And then I ubered back to my hotel, did a v. tiny amount of additional work, and now I need to sleep. Goodnight!

where do the good boys go to hide away

I had a long but good day - I woke up at 6:15 and started working almost immediately, since I had a million things to do. I slogged, fueled by free hotel coffee, until I had just barely enough time to shower before getting to the office for a ten a.m. meeting. Then I had more meetings and more slogging, but it wasn't as onerous as yesterday's slew of meetings.

I left early and came back to my hotel, where I worked for an hour while eating some french fries to tide me over. Then I took BART to Oakland, which is not what I usually do - but I had a dinner date with John and Jess, and it was the most viable option. We had a book club of sorts to discuss PLAYGROUND, which I loved talking about, and we had a good time catching up on life.

Then I came back to the hotel (courtesy of an overly chatty Uber driver), and now I'm desperate for sleep. Goodnight!

you have a drumstick and your brain stops sticking

I had a v v busy day - I did work at the hotel until I had to go on, and then I had meetings straight from 10-4:15 with no break. I used to do this all the time at my old job, but I'm out of practice, so it felt like my brain was melting by the end.

But I survived, and then I had dinner with Veronica, which was a delight. And now I'm going to go to bed v early for California so I can hopefully get cracking when I wake up. Goodnight!

even the devil needs time some dometimes

I had a lovely day, all in all, but I'm jet lagged and did way too much with today. I would regale you with the details, but I'm falling asleep while typing this, which never ends well. So I think sleep is more important to my overall life than writing this - which means goodnight!

the city that rocks

I'm extremely tired, but I had a successful day - I got a lot of sleep last night, and then I spent the morning getting ready to leave my house and fly to SF. This trip has been tentatively on the books for awhile, but I made zero plans for it (other than booking the flight and hotel) bc I was waiting to see how my dad's appointment last week went. So, I'm slap-dashedly pulling together social plans for the week, but since the primary purpose of the trip is work, I know that at least that will be accomplished. 

Anyway, I packed, watered plants, took care of various things, and left in time to get to the airport and eat a salad before departure. My first flight was easy, and then I had a long layover in Denver, where I worked and ate some more. Unfortunately my flight was delayed on the runway for awhile, so I didn't get to SF until after 11pm...but my bag beat me here, so I didn't have to wait. And I slept on the plane, which is all that saved me.

And now, I've unpacked and settled in and desperately need to sleep before I collapse - goodnight!

along for the ride

I got up, v. unenthusiastically, at 5:30am. I actually woke up at 4:30 and couldn't really fall back asleep, which made it even more unfortunate. But I dragged myself out of bed, made coffee (in my new coffeemaker, yay), and then [censored] and I drove up to Des Moines to pick up my dad's truck. We got there shortly after the service center opened, and [censored] and I parted ways ten minutes later - [censored] to come home and get started with the rest of his day, while I did a bit of grocery shopping.

First, though, I grabbed some McDonald's and then took a nap in the Whole Foods parking lot. Then I stocked up on gluten free frozen meals - even though they're basically awash in plastics, sometimes desperate times call for a little extra cancer risk. And then I went downtown to check out an Asian grocery store I've been wanting to go to - it wasn't as impressive as H Mart, but it was quite well laid out and had a lot of tings, and if you want pigs' feet I now know where to get them. Their produce looked especially promising, but I didn't get any because my plans this week mean I won't have time for cooking.

Then I drove home, with a quick stop at a greenhouse for some poinsettias (for me) and a grab bag gift (for some lucky Garden Club person). When I got home, I unloaded the car, made some more coffee, and helped [censored] deliver the truck to mom and dad's. We hung out there for a bit, and then I came home, attempted to do tings, and mostly failed.

But I made breakfast for dinner, which was tasty, and I made a bunch of lists and did some laundry and took care of other tasks. And now I'm going to go to bed early and hope that I recover my energy so I can do all the tings tomorrow - goodnight!

where are you now

Yesterday was a v. nice day, and I should have blogged about it - although in retrospect, I only thought it was nice because it ended with a v. lovely chat with Ritu. Otherwise, it was mostly the usual - I did a bunch of work, then made chili for dinner. But Ritu is always a good time, so I'm glad we caught up.

Today was similar - I woke up, chatted with [censored] while making my coffee, and then slogged through the morning / afternoon. I ran into town to get allergy shots, and then I came home and worked the rest of the day. At some point, [censored] and I ate dinner, and then I set up my new coffeemaker. This was one of my black friday #treatyoself purchases, since my current coffeemaker is slowly getting less hot - and I'm pretty excited to actually make coffee with it tomorrow.

Unfortunately, that experiment is going to be insanely early because [censored] and I have to run a six a.m. errand to Des Moines - so hopefully the coffee tastes good enough to make me less surly about getting up. We shall see, we shall see. But now it's time for bed - goodnight!

born slippy

I did a million hours of work today, which is perhaps an exaggeration but doesn't feel like it. I did my best work before I showered, when I could sit on my chaise while wearing sweats and pretending that I was living my best life. I also had a long chat with one of my work friends (not Adit), with whom I've become close enough that I accepted a video call even though I hadn't done my makeup or washed my hair.

Then I finally showered, had meetings, ate some leftover pizza, made a v. quick trip to the grocery store, came home, and slogged until evening. Then I made a pretty basic but reasonably tasty chicken stirfry and some rice. I finished eating right before [censored] came home, and we watched the tail end of a v. good Iowa State basketball game and chatted a bit while I took care of some minor work tasks.

I came upstairs with the intention of folding laundry and going to bed, but I decided to be a good corporate drone and make a slide tonight rather than going to bed and hoping for the best tomorrow. Happily the slide is done; unhappily it's now after midnight and I need to get to bed immediately. Goodnight!

baby i'm howling for you

Nothing to report - I had a supremely boring day, since I spent it mostly slogging. However, I slogged while well-caffeinated, and I had some fun chats to break up the day, so it could have been worse. I was also in a surprisingly good mood considering that I woke up to clouds and a dusting of snow, and I managed to stay focused despite being cold (and somewhat surly about being cold).

At some point [censored] left, and I spent my solo evening eating leftovers, messing around online, doing some more work, and taking advantage of the last of the cyber monday sales. And with that all accomplished, it's time for bed - goodnight!

dancing through life

It is absolutely freezing here, which is a harsh reminder that winter exists and I live in a place where there is several months of it to contend with. I did not want to get out of bed today, but I had an 11am appointment in Des Moines to get my nails done, so I forced myself to rally. Unusually, I drove my dad's truck to the appointment - the real reason I made it was because I was going to have to go to Des Moines to drop the truck off for service anyway, so I might as well #treatmyself in the meantime.

So I got my nails done, then went to the mall and did a bit of shopping / browsing. Most of the stores were fairly quiet, but Scheels was an absolute zoo - but a worthwhile zoo to go to, since I wanted thick waterproof gloves with e-tips and I managed to find them (and a few tops on sale). Then I went to Container Store to further my efforts to organize my freezer, and then I picked up Starbucks on the way to meet [censored] at the car dealership. We dropped Dad's truck there, and then [censored] brought me home, which was v. kind of him.

I then spent the rest of the evening doing a variety of tings that were necessary, but perhaps not the most urgent - but everything feels necessary and urgent right now, so I guess it will have to do. And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

you can beat the heat

I did not blog last night because I had nothing noteworthy to report - Aunt Kathy and I hung out for a couple of hours in the morning before she left to head north, and then I worked with v. mixed results. In fact, because I didn't have any meetings, I never actually got out of my pajamas, which is v. unusual for me. But I ended the day with some journaling and vowed to begin again today.

And today was, in fact, better and more productive. I got up in time to meet up with my mom and go to a local craft fair to check out the wares. I bought a few cute tings, and we talked to many people, so all in all it was a worthwhile endeavor. Then I came home, did some online shopping / listmaking, and then cleaned out my garage freezer. I never got it properly cleaned / arranged when I bought it, but I decided that I needed to get it properly set up so that I can go deep on meal prep. So I put all the food in coolers, took the shelves out and cleaned them, wiped down the walls, and then got the shelves into a better formation. I still need some bins or something it keep things organized, but it looks much better than it did.

Then I threw together some chicken and rice to bake, and then I continued to do various house tings until the food was ready. [Censored] and I took it out to Mom and Dad's house, where we ate the chicken and rice with some broccoli that Mom roasted + some leftover deviled eggs from Thanksgiving. After dinner, I drove my dad's truck into town for an adventure that I'm taking tomorrow, and then I messed around, did a bit of day job stuff, etc., until now.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

it's an art

Happy thanksgiving! I had a lovely day - yesterday was a total slog (albeit a nice slog, since I had some decent meetings with people I like), but today was much more chill. I got up, made myself some coffee, and then made apple crisp using Gram's recipe. I had to use store bought apples instead of apples from her tree, and I had to use gluten free flour, but it still turned out to be quite tasty. 

As it baked, I cleaned up the kitchen and living room and took a shower, and then I finished getting things ready and went out to Mom and Dad's. Aunt Kathy, Drewbaby, and Sammie came down for the day, and we had the usual thanksgiving meal with all the main food characters (turkey, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, etc). I made the potatoes and was pleased with how they turned out, and everything else was even better. 

Then we spent the afternoon playing two new-to-us games: Chameleon, which I liked, and some icebreaker type game that [censored] absolutely hated. Eventually we parted ways - I gave Drewbaby and Sammie a quick tour of my new property (it is quick by default bc it's small), and then I chilled for quite awhile. Then Aunt Kathy came to my house after doing some extended visiting with my parents, and we caught up until late in the evening. And now she's in my guest room, which means I'll see her tomorrow - but I don't have tomorrow off, so I'm going to do a bit of slogging again. Goodnight!

fragments

I'm not feeling all that tired, but I think I should go to bed - I've been going to bed too late, which means getting up too late, which impacts my ability to get anything done before the endless rush of slack messages and meetings kicks off. Today was fine, though - there was more stuff on my to-do list than I actually got done. But I had my favorite meeting of the month (which is basically just me and Adit and a couple of people who also do not call him the cat), and I had some other fun meetings, and so even though it was busier than I would have liked for Thanksgiving week, it's still not bad.

After I was done(ish) working, I had a glass of wine while chatting with [censored] and then eating some leftover mongolian beef. We watched the first half of the ISU / Dayton game, and then I adjourned upstairs, where I took care of some personal tings and then did a little bit of work.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

don't worry, i'm not in a hurry

I have nothing to share with you today - I slogged all day, with nary a break, and then made dinner, which turned out very well. And then I should have done some more work, but instead I messed around online, did a bit of shopping/browsing, and had a v. entertaining chat with Katrina. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

if you want a second to breathe

I was far more productive today than I usually am on Sundays - it was sixty degrees today and it's going to drop precipitously this week, which made it feel like the last possible day of the year to do many tings. Not that I entirely focused on the outdoors - I spent the morning rearranging my coffee mugs and cleaning some of my kitchen cabinets. This wasn't exactly a necessary task, but somehow in the midst of all of my moving / remodeling, my favorite coffee mugs ended up in a box in the basement and my less favorite coffee mugs ended up in my kitchen. Since I have a million coffee mugs and go through phases of wanting yetis, ceramic tumblers, mugs, whatever, this has been a v. low priority to solve - but today felt like the right day.

Eventually, I finished that task, ate some cottage cheese, talked to [censored], did some more tings around the house, had a bagel, etc. And then I got cracking on outdoor stuff - I dumped my remaining dead plants on [censored]'s property, washed the outside of most of my downstairs windows, cleaned my grill and put the cover on it, blew leaves off my deck and driveway, and also did some laundry while I was at it. When the sun went down, I took a shower, started some rice in the rice cooker, and ran into town to get groceries. Unfortunately for me, one of the bags ripped as I was carrying it inside, and I broke a jar of salsa, which sent glass and tomatoes everywhere. Thanks to [censored]'s shopvac we managed to get it cleaned up, but it wasn't how I wanted to end my day.

After that, I was glad that [censored] and I had already decided to eat some frozen barbacoa beef from the freezer, since all I had to do was heat it up + heat a can of black beans. After dinner, I cleaned up, came upstairs, and did some v. important pre-black-friday shopping for myself. It's crazy how many sales are already going, and it seems like everything that has been on my list for awhile is marked down, so I'm trying to refrain from buying a million tings.

But now I need to go to bed so I can get up and do the job that will pay for those tings. Goodnight!

the emptiness machine

I had quite a productive Saturday, which I'm pleased about - I spent too much of it at my desk, but it was all in service of crossing personal tings off my to-do list, so I'm glad I was able to focus. I also took a walk, used my leaf blower to clean leaves off the deck of my new guest house (there is no bed and no appliances, but at least the deck won't rot), and did a variety of other tings.

Once evening rolled around, [censored] and I met the parents for prime rib at our favorite prime rib place. This is not entirely accurate; my mom and I had prime rib, but [censored] had a cheeseburger and Dad had fried shrimp. However, it was pretty tasty and definitely a good outing - winter is coming in fast and it will probably feel too cold to go next weekend (when the lows are supposed to be around 10-15). Tonight was chilly, especially near the door, but it certainly could have been worse. And I absconded with many after-dinner mints, so if we don't go back for awhile, at least I'm stocked up.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight! 

relativity

I have been slogging like a very dedicated little corporate drone the last couple of days. Today was more of the same, although I spent a lot of it working from my chaise while wearing leggings and a sweatshirt, so it could be worse. Unfortunately the only time that I still feel bruising on my tailbone from my fall down the stairs last week is when I sit on my chaise - but I am more productive here than I am at my desk, so I shall suffer through.

So I did a bunch of work and had a bunch of meetings today, and then took a break to chat with [censored] and eventually eat dinner. And then I did another work session from 9ish to 11:30ish. And now I need to get my contacts out and wind down so I can sleep - goodnight!

hotstepper

I had an extremely boring day - allergy shots, followed by a whole lot of work and meetings. Luckily it was sunny outside, so I was able to tolerate everything slightly better, but still - it was all very boring and not at all noteworthy. And I ended the day with more work + laundry + a pretty tasty dinner (some pulled pork from the freezer + some leftover cheesy potatoes), which was not the worst way to end the evening.

The only actual noteworthy thing was that today was my dad's birthday - Happy Birthday, Dad! And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

got an unseen hand, it's better than the rest

Apologies for not blogging yesterday - I have been informed that this is leaving critical gaps in the historical record, which I may regret someday when AI replicates me and then doesn't know what I did on November 17, 2024. That could lead it to making decisions that are totally out of character for me - but will I care if I'm unconscious and the AI is just using my body as a battery while it lives my life for me?

Oops, that got dark!

So yesterday I decided to perk myself up by getting my nails done, but that meant making a fast trip to Des Moines since I live in the aesthetically challenged hinterlands. After a mani and a pedi, I went to the mall and stocked up on fleece leggings - just in time, since winter is definitely coming and the wind outside sounds brutal tonight. Then I came home in time to make burrito bowls for [censored], who deserved them since he cut down a [censored] for me while I was gallivanting around the city, despite his fear of [censored]. [Censored] is a better person than I am, but I shall continue to take advantage.

Today was a quick descent back into slogging, with a variety of meetings and other tasks. I finally wrapped up a little before seven, ate some leftovers, messed around online, and then had a long and v. overdue chat with Katie. After we hung up, I did the work that I needed to do tonight, which unfortunately took an hour and a half, but at least I won't have to do it tomorrow.

And now, it's time for bed - goodnight!

this world is not meant for you

I got a million hours of sleep last night, but somehow I still felt tired today. Despite that, I dug out a bunch of clothes from the basement and tried them on to evaluate whether to keep vs. donate. I also cleaned up some random tings, did a bunch of laundry, started a crockpot full of cheesy potatoes for dinner, took a nap, and made chocolate chip chewies. This was definitely not all that I intended to accomplish today, but overall I'll take it.

Eventually, [censored] and I went out to the parents' house, where I took advantage of the last almost-grillable day to grill ribeyes. It did not actually feel like grilling weather, but it's still above freezing, so I'll take it. I overcooked most of the steaks despite the cold - they were sliced thin, and 5mins was too much, but they were still totally edible. With the cheesy potatoes and chocolate chip chewies, I don't think anyone cared about the steaks anyway, but I could be wrong.

And now, I need to go to bed - I have many errands and other things I want to do tomorrow, which means sleep is imperative. Goodnight!

so open up i'm climbing in

Yesterday I hit a wall and had to go to bed immediately - and I should clarify that I figuratively hit a wall, and I'm glad it wasn't literal because I'm still sore from falling down the stairs the other day and am not enjoying sitting while working all day. But yesterday was good - a lot of slogging, two different board meetings in town (economic development at lunch, library board after work), and then takeout from the Mexican restaurant in town.

Today was a little easier in that it only involved one trip to town. I did a bunch of work during the day, talked to my friend Tanya, did some more work, and ran into town to get allergy shots. Then I came home and worked until 6:15ish. At that point I was feeling v. done, so I went downstairs and made spaghetti - luckily I still had some jars of sauce in the freezer, so [censored] and I were able to feast with basically zero effort on my part. Thanks, Past Sara, for doing me a favor for once.

And now, it's time for bed - goodnight!

yo operator, or innovator

I got up and wrote this morning before work, and then I slogged all day. This continued through dinner time - someone asked if I could chat just after I started my rice cooker, and I said yes, but that chat lasted for an hour. So it turned into an impromptu cooking show (for them), since we kept talking on video while I chopped tofu and peppers and mixed up the sauce for a stir fry. I did eventually stop the call just in time to actually stir fry everything, and I had just enough time to eat and put away the leftover before dashing into town for a meeting of my secret society.

The meeting was good, and the program after was excellent - Donna showed us her button collection, which was cooler than it probably sounds. Then I came home and said hi to [censored] and discussed renovation plans, which has been a topic of conversation more than I think either of us ever thought it would be. And then I came upstairs, got ready for bed, did a bit of journaling, etc. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

she's long gone

I have nothing noteworthy to report. I woke up this morning and wrote for an hour, which I suppose does feel noteworthy. I also fell down the stairs, but that wasn't that big of a deal - somehow my foot slipped while I was carrying a whole bunch of stuff, but I landed on my tailbone and slid down a couple of steps without further injury. I feel a little bruised, which I think is to be expected, but otherwise I'm none the worse for wear.

After that exciting start to the morning, I got ready and spent the rest of the day slogging with reasonable productivity. I should have slogged tonight, but I wasn't in the mood - I took care of a few minor tasks, but I will have to commence slogging tomorrow in earnest. Beyond that, I did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, ate some leftovers, etc., none of which was exciting but all of which was necessary.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

your mind is not your friend

I had today off because my company's days off are based on federal holidays - I'm still not totally on board with that because I would rather have a couple of extra days off around 4th of July or Christmas instead of random Mondays, but it's better than nothing. However, I wonder if my work days usually look lazy from the outside, because [censored] didn't realize until almost 3pm that I had the day off. This despite the fact that I wore sweats the whole time, sat around doing v. little, and took a walk and did some outdoor / next door tasks in the middle of the afternoon. I know my work process looks odd to people who are used to having set times in office (and this has been true whether I work at a corporate job or am writing), but I didn't realize it looks like I'm not working at all.

Anyway, my day was fine - I didn't get as much done as I had intended to, but perhaps I needed the day to be mostly chill. [Censored] left around his usual time, and I spent the rest of the afternoon / evening messing around, eating leftovers, writing a bit, listening to music, etc. And now I'm going to read a bit and try to go to bed early (for me) so that I can reset for the week ahead. Goodnight!

they say you're basic, they say you're easy

I've had a reasonably productive couple of days, if I ignore the multiple hours that I spent lying in bed / sitting around this morning. Yesterday I slogged all day, and it actually felt good to slog. I worked until 6:15, and then [censored] and I went out to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Mom made beef stroganoff, which was quite tasty, and we hung out for a bit afterward. Then I came home, curled up on my chaise, and finished reading PLAYGROUND. I'd started it in SF a couple of weeks ago and was really enjoying it, but took a long hiatus due to other distractions. But I'm glad I finished it - the book was gorgeous (it's fiction, but a weird combo of oceanography, philosophy, and AI) and it had a twist at the end that made me want to immediately reread it.

Despite going to bed at a reasonable hour last night, I lazed about in bed until 10:30 this morning. Then I made some coffee and journaled for awhile before eventually getting with it. I did a deep clean of my bedroom and bathroom, which was v. necessary - between vacuuming and then cutting a ton of hair away from where it had wrapped itself around the vacuum, I probably could have made myself a small cap of my own hair. But now everything is delightfully clean and I rearranged some of my makeup so that I remember that I have it, which is pretty exciting.

However, I was definitely done with all housework by six and had no desire to do more. So I took the trash out, took a shower, and then ate leftover chicken and rice with [censored]. Then I did a small bit of day job stuff for my boss. And then I curled up on my chaise and started reading THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER, which I'd checked out from the library last week. So far I'm not sure about it - somewhat interesting characters, but I don't have a clear sense of what exactly the point is, so we'll see if we get there eventually.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

that's that me espresso

I have v. little to report - I've been slogging, which is not interesting, and occasionally catching up with friends, which is interesting. This has mostly involved texting, which is always nice. But I also had a brief impromptu phone call with Terry yesterday, and I had dinner with Hannah last night, both of which were v. necessary. I've also been tidying things, doing laundry, etc., in an effort to exert control over my internal environment when my external environment is a dumpster fire.

Today was more of the same, but at the end of it I made chicken and rice for me and [censored]. This was an old favorite when I was in high school, but I haven't had it in years since canned Campbell's soups have been off limits due to gluten. But they recently started making cream of chicken and cream of mushroom in gluten free versions, and that means this casserole is back on the menu. It was quite tasty, if I do say so myself - and certainly easier than my usual recipes, which nearly always involve some amount of chopping of fresh ingredients.

After dinner, I worked for another couple of hours to make up for lost productivity during the day. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

and when it heals it beats for you

I had a v. unusual day. It was quite rainy this morning and I felt a distinct lack of motivation to do anything, but I forced myself to go to Des Moines to stock up on many tings. The day job is putting a cramp in my style when it comes to being able to do these errands on weekdays, and I know every weekend between now and Christmas will only get worse in terms of shopping.

So, I made a speed run through Costco, Whole Foods, Menards, and Target, and I also got my nails done, and I somehow still made it home by 5:15. I unloaded the many tings from my car and was looking forward to a relaxing evening + getting some work done, but [censored] discovered that the sump pump wasn't working, which was not a pleasant revelation given that we've gotten a lot of rain and will soon get some more. So I went ahead and fixed dinner (with brunch items) while [censored] scrounged for supplies, and we ate while watching last night's SNL.

Then, we spent more time than either of us wanted to messing around in the basement - it was really all [censored], but it was a two-person effort to try to pump water out of the pit and into any drain in the basement that could handle a fire hose of water. The issue still isn't resolved, but to be clear, my basement wasn't flooded - and hopefully [censored] can figure out a solution in the near future.

But for now, that's a problem for Future Sara (or, more likely, Future [censored]) - for now it's time for bed. Goodnight!

i got edges that scratch

Apologies for not blogging the last couple of days - I was trying to be diligent with work and also with bedtime, and that often eliminated my desire to sit on my laptop/phone and write a post before bed.

Yesterday was lovely, though - I worked all morning, and then [censored] and I picked up takeout and went out to Mom and Dad's for a rare Friday lunch. Aunt Kathy had come down to hang out, so we all ate together, which was v. nice. And then we took a tour of my new holdings, which were a pleasant surprise for some people since everyone was expecting a garbage dump based on the last neighbor. That's not to say that it's amazing, but for my purposes, it will suffice.

I spent the rest of yesterday slogging until almost eight p.m., and then I ate leftover chicken and mashed potatoes while watching 'Stargate' with [censored]. Today, I got up with more urgency than I usually do on a Saturday (but still not exactly early) because I had volunteered to host a writing thing at the library at 10am. No one showed up, which suited me just fine - we didn't really publicize it much, and NaNoWriMo is basically defunct this year, so people who don't follow the library on Facebook were unlikely to see it. But I got a couple of hours of writing done, which I will totally take.

Then I went across the street and voted, and I felt v. lucky because there happened to be no one in line in front of me when I got there (although someone walked out as I walked in, and three or four people were behind me by the time I was done). Then I came home, ate lunch, did some tings with [censored], and then spent the rest of the afternoon organizing my office papers. Eventually, I stopped so that I could make some chili for dinner, which hit the spot, and then I spent the last couple of hours doing various online things.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

i'd be the man

I have absolutely nothing to report - yesterday I worked, and today I didn't feel well (headache and ears plugged up) and so mostly didn't work.

Oh, I guess I bought a house today, so I did do something. But that only took fifteen minutes, so does that really count?

The house is conveniently located next door to my current house, and now conveniently will not have a dog chained up in the yard barking 24/7 because I will not put a dog there myself. I'm still not sure entirely what I plan to do with it - whether I plan to make it into a nice guest cottage / short term rental, or whether I will just let it fall into the earth and not be a home for future meth heads. Either way, I'm excited to have it, and we'll see what happens!

But now, after eating dinner with [censored] and watching too many tv shows that are throwbacks to my teenage years, I need to go to bed and hope my headache disappears overnight. Goodnight!

and keep your money, i got my own

I have had a v. chill couple of days to recover from my trip. Yesterday I did almost nothing before going out to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Today, I did a little more than almost nothing (but not much) - I took care of some random tings, ran into town to get groceries, and spent most of the afternoon / evening attempting to organize all the things in my office that have slowly been spiraling out of control. I took a break at some point to get takeout Mexican with [censored], which was v. tasty.

And that's all I have to report - perhaps the week will be more interesting, but in many ways I hope it is completely uninteresting. Goodnight!

sycamore tree

I made it back to ye olde Iowa after a busy day at work and a long but easy set of flights. I thought about staying in Des Moines tonight, but I decided I wanted my own bed, which is where I am now. And now it's time to sleep - goodnight!

a stranger with your doorkey

Sorry for not blogging last night - I had a wonderful day and fell asleep as soon as I fell into bed. I spent the morning working from my hotel, and then went in for a bunch of meetings. But I was free by 4:30pm since we had a team dinner (just for the women on the team, so Adit had to stay back, which I'm sure made him sad). We went to a sushi place at Post and Polk, and we did the omakase tasting menu - which meant the chef just kept giving us pieces of sushi, all of which were perfectly presented. It was all absolutely delicious, and the company was excellent too - I like the women I work with and it was fun to see some of them in person.

When we were done, a couple of people peeled off and then five of us continued the party with a drink at Members Only. And then there were only two of us left, and we ended up meeting Adit and his friend Raffi for a final drink. That was fun, but by the time I got back to my hotel it was almost midnight and I needed to sleep immediately.

Sadly, my aging metabolism can no longer handle five drinks in seven hours with the same aplomb that it used to, and so I slept quite poorly last night. But I rallied and got to the office in time for some meetings, some free lunch, etc. And at the end of the day, I took Caltrain to Burlingame, where I met up with Barbara and Anne for a much-needed writer dinner at Pizzeria Delfina. It was great to see them, and hopefully it won't be quite so long before our paths cross agin text tme.

And now sleep is finally coming for me and I need to go to bed - goodnight!

nature is healing

I had a pretty good day - my neighbor woke me up while doing a call at six a.m., but otherwise I got my day off to a good start. I spent the day mostly in meetings, with a break for some team takeout for lunch, which was 10x the socializing I usually get at lunch + infinitely freer/more convenient food.

When I finally got back to my hotel after many discussions, I chilled for a bit and then went down to the bar to grab dinner. I know the bartender from when she used to work at a different hotel, and it's a bit strange to have known a girl bartender for five years, but I'll take it. And tonight felt like it was fully back to pre pandemic hotel bar scene - someone gave me a painting after talking to me for awhile, and another couple propositioned me for a threesome, so I'd say I'm fully back to my old self (note: my old self didn't take threesome propositions and my new self didn't either, but isn't it nice to be asked?).

And now, after a very demure two glasses of wine, I'm going to go to bed and aim for a lot of productivity tomorrow - goodnight!

in this gaudy apartment complex

No blog tonight - I'm falling asleep on my keyboard, which is a sure sign that I need to get some strength back. But I had a good day - I got to the office a little before nine, and I slogged all day before absconding to do some shopping. Then I met Grace at the Tailor's Son, where we had an excellent solo catch-up over salad and risotto and chocolate pudding.

But now I need to sleep so that I can hopefully be #inittowinit tomorrow - goodnight!                                                                   

if you close your eyes

I had an excellent day reimmersing myself in the city of sin. I got up relatively early and went to Hayes Valley to get my nails done, which catapulted me back into the realm of people who are groomed to live in cities. I then wrote for awhile before catching a car to Beach Chalet to meet Veronica for lunch.

Our lunch was excellent, although I slightly overheated by the end of it - the sun was pouring through the windows, whcih was v. pretty for ocean-watching, but even after twenty-four hours here I feel comfortable saying that 72 can be too hot depending on the circumstances. sssanyway, Veronica and I had a lovely conversation, and hopefully we can do it again soon.

Then I came back to my hotel, took a nap, and spent some quality time in the bar doing some tings while having some ginger ale. Then I went to my last excursion of the night: dinner with Adit, John, and Claudia. We met at Besharam, an Indian restaurant with many excellent dishes, and spent a couple of hours catching up on life.

But I'm falling asleep while writing this and literally every sentence contains some errors that I have to fix - so I'm going to bed. Goodnight!

sunday always comes too late

I did not blog yesterday because I was in a mad dash to get everything done. I got up early to go get allergy shots, and then I spent the day slogging fairly relentlessly. The whole time I was slogging, I was smelling roasting pork, since I had put a pork butt in the oven at 8am and roasted it for ten hours. Even after that exorbitant amount of time it still wasn't quite to the temperature I wanted, but at 6pm I pulled it in the interest of being able to eat dinner last night.

As soon as I was done shredding almost all of it, [censored] and I went out to the parents' house, where we ate the pork with Mom's baked beans and fried potatoes (yummy as always). Eventually it was time to part ways, and I spent the next two hours frantically packing so that I could go to bed and eke out a few hours of sleep. This was a little painful since I went to bed at 11:45 and had to get up at 5:15, but I survived.

Today's adventure involved flying into SF for a quick work trip. I don't want to be gone from home more than a week at a time right now, so I'm not really getting much weekend time here - and today I made zero plans because I knew I would need a bit of time to acclimate to the city. My trip was mostly smooth, although I was v. annoyed when, after sitting in Denver for almost an hour, United changed the boarding gate five minutes before boarding was supposed to start. Worse, they changed it from the end of the B concourse to a gate on the A concourse - which is a fifteen minute hike. Of course, everyone else was annoyed too, and they boarded us a little late.

But otherwise, it was fine. And, I buried the lede, because on my Des Moines to Denver flight I sat next to Harry Smith, who retired after many years on television and is now teaching a seminar at Central in Pella. We chatted briefly and he was quite nice, which was a relief since I would have been sad if he was a jerk given all his human interest stories over the years.

sssanyway, I made it to SF without incident, checked into my hotel, and promptly hermited. I did nothing for a couple of hours, and then I spent the evening in the bar eating and reading a big chunk of PLAYGROUND, the new book by Richard Powers. It's excellent, and I wanted to keep reading - but I know I need to go to bed and try to recoup the sleep I didn't get last night. So, I'm going to do just that - goodnight!

it's called freefall

I had an excellent day of work if you're into that sort of thing. I got up relatively early, partially because I had too many things on my to do list and partially because my dad's auction closed today and I wanted to be awake to keep tabs on what was happening. I am of course not as useful with these things as [censored] is, but I'm always curious, so it was fun to keep an eye on while doing my day job.

So I slogged all day, and I took a break around six to eat dinner with [censored]. I'd made a bunch of chicken taco meat in the crockpot yesterday, and today I made Mexican rice and black beans, so we had very tasty burrito bowls. Then I had one late meeting, did some laundry, made some lists, prepped a spice rub for the pork shoulder that I'm roasting tomorrow, etc.

And now I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

Thursday watch the walls instead

I have nothing to report - after having Monday off it was back to the grind yesterday and today, and I was doing my very best to focus. However, I did see my parents yesterday and today while embarking on a multi step process to fix a technical issue at the round barn (I am responsible for wireless technology support not just in their house, but other houses they have interest in). And I had a couple of chill evenings, which was v welcome. 

But I'm trying to go to bed earlier to fix some sleep habits that got shifted after my latest travels - so it's time to sign off. Goodnight!

in the fields

I had today off due to the federal holiday, and while I didn't make the most of it, I had a good enough day. I wasn't feeling particularly well when I woke up, so I was as lazy as possible for most of the morning. But I eventually rallied, took a shower, ate some lunch, etc., and then went to Centerville to stock up on some groceries. My mission was a success, and I got home just in time to inspect a couple of tings with [censored] before [censored] left to drive back to [censored].

After [censored] left, I forced myself to finish tidying up my room - I still need to vacuum, but it's mostly back in shape. After spending the whole weekend cleaning out my closets (using the Marie Kondo method of asking myself if each piece sparks joy - and then trying on many things to remember details like how there are some tops I never wear because they rub my neck the wrong way), I had to pack up four garbage bags of clothes to donate + one bag of the most expensive stuff that I'm going to send to Thredup and hopefully get some sort of store credit (although it will be pennies on the dollar of what the stuff is worth).

When I was done putting my room in order, I made a lateish dinner (tofu stirfry, delish), and then relaxed / journaled / did some skincare stuff until now. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

I love you and it's ruining my life

I had a pretty productive and fun day all in all, so I'll take it. I spent most of the day embarking on a massive cleanup project, which will be satisfying when I'm done but currently just seems like even more of a mess. I also drove my parents' gater from the shop to home, which was a nice interlude in the sun. And I helped Dad procure fried chicken gizzards, with are not my thing but at least he can get them.

This evening, [censored] and I had an unusual excursion to Des Moines to see an 8pm comedy show starring Taylor Tomlinson. It was v v funny, and I'm looking forward to seeing the special when it finally airs to see how the site evolves as she gets through more cities and practice sessions. But we loved it and it was worth going to, even if it made for a late night.

And speaking of, it's time for bed - goodnight!

dirty bit

Yesterday I had lots to report but v little energy, and today I'm feeling the same, but I'll try to persevere. Yesterday was the open house for my dad's auction, so I skipped out on work during lunch and went to his shop to avail myself of the free lunch that the auction company had catered. I'm not going to buy a backhoe, but I did get a free ribeye and some chest potatoes and baked beans catered by the restaurant in Seymour. The auction is all quite bittersweet, and we'll see how it does when it closes next week. 

I spent the rest of yesterday slogging. Then I had a library board meeting and some takeout from the Mexican restaurant. And then I went to bed with the intention of getting up early and slogging...

... But instead I got up a little late and slogged. Then I went to get allergy shots, came home, worked and ate lunch, and took a long walk around town while talking to my friend Tanya. I worked the rest of the afternoon and tried to make the most of one of my last balcony days of the year, but the tiny biting insects have been bad the last couple of weeks, and they drove me inside.

Eventually I stopped working and went out to Mom and Dad's, where I fired up the grill and grilled four of the ribeyes that were leftover from yesterday. I also sliced some fresh tomatoes and mozzarella and made a caprese salad, and my mom baked potatoes and brought out the leftover baked beans. All in all it was quite tasty, and we had a nice chat. 

And now it's time for bed so I can do a million things tomorrow - goodnight!

naked and alive

No substantive updates today - I slogged, and I also snuck in a v. quick trip to Des Moines to get new tires, since my tires only had the memory of a tread pattern. Then I slogged some more, ate some soup, and went to my PEO meeting, which was as entertaining as always. And I chatted with [censored] when he got home while taking care of various tings. And now, I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

and the lights, they glow like i just lost the world war

I'm still pretty tired from my trip - I keep being half-convinced that I'm getting sick, especially since many other people have succumbed, but I think all the tequila I drank kept my body disinfected. But yesterday I slogged and then made myself a big batch of chicken and wild rice soup just in case I need the soup for future recovery.

Today was more of the same - I had to do some pretty intensely concentrated work this morning to prep for some meetings, and then I had meetings pretty much straight from 11 to 4ish and again from 5:30 to 6. I did take a quick walk before my last meeting, so at least I saw some sunlight. Then I went out to my parents' house to give them some soup, since I felt like sharing my bounty and hadn't seen them since before my trip. My mom gave me some tomatoes in return, and I came home and used them to make a BLT. It would have been perfect if I had real bread and also any lettuce (it was more of a BT), but the tomatoes and bacon were excellent.

Then I did a bit more work of both the day job and personal variety, and now I need to sleep - goodnight!

is that a bad thing to say in a song

I felt much better than I deserved this morning, despite yesterday's shenanigans and getting under four hours of sleep. I got up and out of the hotel a little earlier than planned, and so I had time for breakfast and a venti Starbucks cold brew to power me up for the flight. The flight was totally smooth and there was an empty seat next to me, and I got out of Des Moines with no issues. 

By the time I got home around 5pm, though, I was wrecked, so I took a nap and generally had a v slothful evening. I need to be in it to win it tomorrow, so it's time for bed - goodnight!

purple rain

I'm v v tired but I had an excellent day in Arizona. I had a nice breakfast, followed by an extensive steam/sauna/cold plunge at the spa, followed by an incredible facial that left me glowing. Then I had a sandwich while chatting with some people, and then I had many margaritas of both the frozen and on the rocks variety while hanging out in the pool and watching Adit almost get murdered in a game of chicken, which was more hilarious than murder might sometimes sound.

Then I had exactly twenty minutes to get ready before the group photo, which was followed by a riotous dinner with an excellent table of people. After was the annual Taboo tournament; I was assigned to captain a team, and we won the whole thing (after a serious judging controversy involving tomatoes and potatoes, me blocking a team from replacing a child with an adult, and Adit refusing to play on his assigned team and choosing to play on my team because he knows a winning team when he sees one).

Since I was high on life and also had had several Tims (a whiskey and blood orange cocktail created by the bartender, whose name was Tim), I ended up at the pool/hot tub for a late night hangout. I came back to my room at the respectable hour of 1:15, and I showered and packed, which should make tomorrow slightly less traumatic even though I have to leave the hotel by eight. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

I'd rather take my whiskey neat

Today started off way too early because the hotel is underground construction and decided they could start sawing at 4:45am. So, I didn't get enough sleep, but I felt pretty much fine despite the drinks I consumed last night.

I had a chill morning, and then many of us went to a mini golf place. The mini golf technology has really gotten astounding - the ball has an RFID chip or something that means the system can track the scores centrally, among other things. They also had an excellent bartender, which made it even more fun.

Then I came back, got a massage, and went into cocktail hours and dinner. The whole evening was great, but I'm falling asleep and can't recount anything else - goodnight!

always something there to remind me

It's midnight in Arizona, but it's two am in Iowa and I'm completely wiped out. However, I had a great day - I woke up early and scrambled to shower, make coffee, water plants, etc before my water got shut off for a water project in my yard that [censored] helpfully took care of (with my dad's crew) since I have zero expertise in such matters. Then I left my house since I had no water and went to Des Moines, where I got my nails done and got a haircut to make me more presentable to the outside world.

Then I went to the airport, ate lunch while doing some work, and flew to Phoenix. I never fly southwest, but they had a direct flight, and I got lucky with no one in the middle seat. So I napped and then read the whole way, which was nice. 

When I arrived, I basically changed my pants and went straight to dinner, where I reunited with various coworkers. We all hung out for awhile and then I wanted to bail on the after dinner activity, but Adit told me I had to go with the look in his eyes that means we're in it to win it, so I went. 

The activity was Topgolf, which I've never played, and there was (of course) more food and a lot of alcohol. I had a couple of whiskey cocktails and part of a tequila shot, which apparently made me amazing at party-style golf - I managed to win against several people who objectively should have beaten me, but I'll take it.

Then I called a Waymo to self-drive some of us back to the hotel, and it was just as excellent as it was in SF. And now I need to sleep immediately - goodnight!

it's only a matter of time

I have v little to report today - I got up, went into town to do allergy shots, grabbed a salad from the grocery store, and came home and slogged until my last meeting ended at six. Then I went out to my parents' house with an offering of some bacon wrapped steaks, which I grilled for them to go with my mom's baked potatoes (and the aforementioned salad, which had to wait for [censored] to bring because I left it in one of my many fridges).

The steaks turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself - it was my first time using that grill, although I've discussed it with my dad a bunch of times, and it was pretty nice. After we ate, I came home and packed as quickly as possible since I'm leaving tomorrow for a v quick weekend trip. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

extra bright i want you all to see this

I'm strangely tired, but Monday seems to do that to me - it's all meetings, all day, and I do not enjoy the rapid immersion into the work week. I got up this morning and wrote a little bit before work, and then I slogged all day.

I unfortunately had meetings until 6:30pm, but I took time to put some skirt steak into a marinade earlier in the afternoon, and I started some rice in the rice cooker around 5:45. So, when I was done with meetings, I fired up the grill and grilled some skirt steak for fajitas (sort of fajitas - no veggies included). Since it's getting dark way earlier than I want it to, I was finishing up the grilling as twilight descended, but I beat the darkness and it turned out quite well. I also heated up some refried beans, and so the steak + refried beans + rice made for an excellent dinner (if I do say so myself).

After chatting with [censored] while eating, I cleaned up the kitchen, retreated upstairs, and took care of some v. necessary personal business. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

i was standing in the rain just trying to stay dry

I had a lovely weekend, all in all. Friday was a lot of slogging, which is why I didn't blog, plus some Outlaw pizza that we took to mom and dad's.

Yesterday was more fun - Aunt B and I went on an excursion to check out the Amish discount store and buy mums from one of the best local greenhouses. We had a long chat with the owner of the greenhouse while I chose my mums, which was fun. And we found a few treasures at the discount store, which is why I go back occasionally even though I can't do my regular grocery shopping there. Then I did a variety of other tasks yesterday afternoon before making salmon and a cucumber salad to take to my parents' house.

Today was a little lower on the fun and heavier on the work - I spent some quality time with Aunt B and [censored] before Aunt B left to see Drewbaby and catch her flight. Then I took a long walk around town, which was nice. And then I spent the afternoon and evening taking care of house things with varying degrees of success. I ended the day by making some chili and watching the season premiere of SNL with [censored], which was reasonably funny (which is how SNL usually is). And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

you steal the air right out my lungs

I slogged incessantly today - it's felt good to get into a bit of a rhythm this week, but we'll see how long it lasts. I had relatively few meetings and quite a bit of time to get stuff done, so I worked from my favorite chair in the living room while wearing sweats and drinking coffee, and that seemed to be exactly the right approach. I probably should have worked on my balcony since winter is coming, but I'll take what I got today.

I ended the day with a long meeting about meetings with Adit (no one calls him the cat), and then I did a variety of tings around the house. I also made spaghetti and reheated some sauce from the freezer so that [censored] and I had something to eat. And then around 9pm, Aunt Becky arrived - she flew in from Colorado today and is spending the weekend here, which will be delightful. We all caught up for a couple of hours, which means I'm officially past my bedtime - and need to go to bed immediately if I'm going to be in it to win it tomorrow. Goodnight!

now we're stuck in the storm we were born to ignore

I had a long but fairly productive day - I woke up in time to be somewhat dressed by 8am in case Randy showed up (he did not), and worked in my sweats for a few hours, which often feels good. Then I took a shower, ate a bit of lunch, and slogged incessantly all afternoon. I did take a wee break because Randy came over in the afternoon to look at the trim that I wanted him to finish, so hopefully he'll come back tomorrow and finish my kitchen renovation (which happened so long ago that you probably don't even remember it).

I was done with meetings at 5:55 and then sped over to a meeting of my secret society - we started at 6 instead of 7 because it was a welcome-back-from-summer dinner, and I arrived just as they were going through the line for food.

So I ate some delicious roast beef and various other tings, and then we had a nice meeting and gift bag situation before parting ways. Then I came home and worked some more while also talking to [censored]. And now I need to go to bed so I can do many of these tings again tomorrow - goodnight!

this is america

I'm suddenly very tired, perhaps because my day didn't go as planned. I got up early because Randy was supposed to come at 8 to fix something, but he called at 7:45 because he wasn't feeling well. Then I went to the hospital at 9 to get allergy shots, but they called me at 8:55 to say they don't have my serum.

Two canceled early morning things in a row should be illegal. But I survived and slogged all day, so I guess it was fine. And I have nothing else of interest to report, so I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

like a race-car driving away from the scene

I had a pretty busy day today, as most Mondays are. I did get up in time to write a bit before work, which felt quite good - and I even had time to blow dry my hair, which almost felt even better. Thus feeling accomplished, I leaned into many hours of meetings, which went as most of these meetings usually do.

At some point, I took a break to take care of a few tings and wave [censored] off. My break extended longer than I intended for it to (and by that I mean I accidentally took a nap), but then I cleaned up around the house, ate some dinner, and did another couple of hours of work so that tomorrow won't be quite so painful.

But now, I need to go to bed - I have to get allergy shots tomorrow and I also have a potential early morning visitor, and so I have many tings to do before my work day actually begins. Goodnight!

bury them in florida

Sorry for not blogging yesterday - I was actually pretty productive and had some reasonably interesting updates to share, but I was too tired to get into it when I was ready to go to bed.

Yesterday was the town celebration, and I rallied myself to walk 'downtown' (which is three blocks long) to join the parade. I had two options - Garden Club or PEO - and I chose PEO because they had an actual seat for me in the front of the side-by-side. The class of 1964 was ahead of us - they were the last graduating class from the town's high school before it closed, and it was their 60th reunion this year. It was nice to see the festival still going, and I probably should have participated a bit more. But it looked like it might rain, so I said hi to a few people, bought a tshirt, and walked home.

I spent yesterday afternoon working in the basement, and then I made tater tot casserole and took it out to mom and dad's for dinner. [Censored] and I hung out there for awhile, and then we came home and I messed around until bed.

Today was both more and less productive - more productive because I wrote for several hours (in a couple of stints - this morning with coffee in bed; this afternoon / evening on my chaise longue), but less productive because I didn't clean anything upstairs like I had intended. However, the writing was a good feeling. I did a tiny bit more stuff in the basement, but I mostly slacked until dinner - when I made a new-to-me recipe for eggplant parmigiana. [Censored] thought I would really have something if I replaced the eggplant with chicken, which I'll accept as a review. I thought it turned out quite well, and I was especially impressed by the breading - I used the gluten free bread crumbs that I use when making ham balls, and mixed them with parmesan and some spices, and it was v. tasty. This version was also baked instead of fried, so cleanup was a lot easier - and I put it together in two smaller pans so I could freeze one immediately to eat later (and so that [censored] doesn't feel compelled to eat leftovers of something that isn't chicken].

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

honey are you coming

I had an unusual day today - I had to go to Des Moines to get my car serviced, which I kind of wanted to cancel but did not because I was already overdue. So I got up there pretty early, and then took a loaner car and went to the mall, where I worked for several hours at the Barnes and Noble cafe. I also grabbed lunch in the food court, did a bit more work, took a call, etc.

When my car was done, I picked it up and went to Whole Foods, where I stocked up on a ton of chicken and frozen salmon and cod. Then I came home, unloaded my car, did a bit more work, and chatted with [censored]. At some point Allie and Chris showed up for a brief visit since they were in the area, so we talked to them about how they're livin' for a bit. And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

good news for memoir lovers

Another v. boring day in my #smalltownlife. I got up, talked to [censored], took a shower, and partook in meetings. I also walked to the post office to mail something; I did not have 100% confidence that the postmaster took my package correctly, but I guess we'll find out.

After I was done working for the day, I made a v. simple, v. tasty pasta with italian sausage, swiss chard, milk, parmesan, and lemon zest - and it was fantastic. [censored] and I ate it while watching some 'After Midnight', which is better than when it came out a year ago. And now, I need to go to bed - goodnight!

my friends all smell like weed or little babies

I have nothing of interest to report - I spent the last couple of days working and trying to catch up on life stuff, to mixed results. I have not been feeling in it to win it, but I was a bit more productive today. It probably helped that I had to be up and dressed by 8 (such a sacrifice) because my dad's crew came to break out a bunch of concrete around my shed and fill a cistern that we had suspected was buried there. They still have to finish some more concrete work tomorrow, but I'm more excited about getting concrete removed than one would think I might be, so this is great.

I eventually stopped working, made a frittata for dinner, poured a glass of wine, and sat on my balcony until the sun set (too early; this is my least favorite thing about fall). Eventually, [censored] got home and I talked to him for a bit. Then I came upstairs and was going to go to bed, but instead I finished the book I started on the plane last week (THE GOD OF THE WOODS, which started off very slow but became very interesting and fast paced at the end). And now I need to go to sleep so that I can accomplish all the things tomorrow - goodnight!

let me give your heart a break

Yesterday I didn't blog because I had nothing to report - I wrote in the morning and spent the afternoon cleaning the house, which was necessary but also uninteresting. The best part of the day was making breakfast for dinner - [censored] and I aren't in the brunch habit in the summer, but I was in the mood for hashbrowns, and I delivered. 

Today was possibly more interesting but certainly less fun - I woke up at 3:30am to take my parents to Des Moines for a six am cardiology procedure. It went fine, but we didn't learn much, and it made for a v long day. When we finally got home, I should have worked but I mostly crashed - I napped, ate snacks instead of making dinner, took a walk, and sat on my balcony until it was too dark to see. And now I'm going to go to bed so I can hopefully get back in it to win it tomorrow - goodnight!

knocking at your door

I had a nice Saturday in ye olde Iowa. I got up around eight (shockingly) and baked a lemon cake for myself as a belated birthday celebration. The lemon cake recipe that I always used belonged to Gram, and it still works - but it's based on doctoring a boxed cake mix, and I don't think it comes together the same way it used to. Part of that is my fault - I use a gluten free yellow cake mix, since I can't eat gluten and also can't find a gf lemon cake mix. So I add a bunch of lemon zest and some lemon flavoring.

But so many products now don't come with the same volume that they did twenty years ago, and I wouldn't be surprised if cake mixes are smaller. I also haven't been able to find frozen lemonade concentrate around here - I doubt it's been fully discontinued, but I also doubt that most people mix up lemonade from a frozen can anymore. So my cake came out denser than it used to, and it was slightly more tart because I used fresh lemon juice with powdered sugar for the glaze instead of using lemonade concentrate. It was still quite tasty, but I may have to do some more radical experimentation to recreate the cake of my youth.

sssanyway, after I baked the cake and glazed it, I took care of a few other tings and then took a shower before heading to my parents'. Drewbaby and Aunt Kathy came down for the day - primarily to see dad, but they also got a crash course in local real estate and also in equipment auctions. It was great to see them, and we had a tasty lunch courtesy of Outlaw (and my cake).

The left late afternoon after touring some tings in Allerton, and then I completely spaced out for an hour. I did some laundry and tidied my room, and then I made chili (what [censored] and I call Elmer's Chili, since it's more of a paste than a soup). And then, after eating and tidying up, I came upstairs, folded laundry, finished putting everything away from my trip, and journaled a bit.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

topdown

I had a v. busy day today, and I'll be curious to see how quickly I can unwind so that I can fall asleep. I had a doctor's appointment this morning, in which I restarted allergy shots after a much-too-long hiatus, which means I basically have to start over. My allergies have been practically non-existent all summer, and I didn't react at all to the shots, so I'm hoping I can move up in dose v. quickly, but we'll see. My doctor also froze a mole (of mine, not hers) that had recently shown up, and which I had found odd since I don't really grow moles, so that was mildly exciting.

Then I sped home and had meetings straight from 11 to almost 3, and I basically didn't have a chance to eat except for the some cottage cheese and a granola bar that I snuck in between meetings. Then I devoured the leftovers of last night's burger and fries from Garden Grove, had another meeting, sat on my balcony, and should have worked but mostly procrastinated because my brain was fried.

At some point I took a brief walk, and then I ran into town and grabbed a couple of groceries. I also reheated the last of the leftover chicken tortilla soup so that [censored] and I could have it for the third night this week - it's a good thing it's good. Then I procrastinated a bit more, cleaned up the kitchen, came upstairs, and worked for the last two hours to make up for the fact that I didn't finish stuff this afternoon.

And now I need to go to bed so that I can be in it to win it tomorrow - goodnight!

live más

I have nothing to report - I slogged all day, and I also had two different local board meetings, which was about 1.5 more than I wanted. But then [censored] and I decided to go to Garden Grove for dinner, and [censored] bought in honor of my birthday, so it was a v. worthwhile excursion. I don't think we've been since my friends were here in April, since the day job is cramping my style - but the food was just as tasty as always, and I'm glad we went back.

But now I need to do some work and/or go to bed - goodnight!

we may lose and we may win though we will never be here again

Happy birthday to me! It's been a hectic couple of days - I had to take my parents to Des Moines for an appointment yesterday, which went fine, but it was more driving than I usually do on a work day. Then I came home and slogged the rest of the day before eating some leftover soup and talking to [censored].

Today was more slogging - I tried to be relaxed in the morning by making coffee and watering my plants, but I succumbed to the lure of my laptop and then slogged obsessively the whole day. However, I was able to wrap up around 5:15 so that [censored] and I could go out for dinner with the parents to celebrate my birthday. We usually never go to Seymour during the week because they only have prime rib on the weekends, but Wednesday is apparently a fried fish special, which merits a trip. I did not have fried fish because I'm trying to abstain from gluten, but my philly cheesesteak sans bun was excellent. And it was a very nice birthday dinner, even if I will have to bake a gluten free cake later this week to satisfy my cake cravings.

Then we came home and I spent the last hour or so responding to texts, doing some online tings, etc. And now I need to consider going to bed - goodnight!

i gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me

I had an unusually eventful start to the day, which resulted in me not really starting work until noon - but after that, things calmed down and I slogged the rest of the day. Then I ran into town to get some groceries, came home, and made a large batch of chicken tortilla soup. I'm hoping some of it makes it into the freezer for Future Sara (and Future [Censored]), but if it all gets eaten this week, so be it.

Beyond that, I have nothing else to report, so I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

keep me young forever

Apologies for not blogging yesterday - after a v. eventful day of traveling, I didn't have it in me. I had a v. nice final morning in SF, including a walk to the Ferry Building, a cup of Philz coffee, some tasty gluten free pastry filled with ham and cheese from Mariposa, and some time browsing the farmers' market. Then I took a self-driving car back to my hotel, retrieved my rental car and returned it to the rental center around the corner, and went back to my hotel to shower and finish packing.

It was then that I discovered that I had somehow gotten my timings mixed up; I had had it in my head all morning that I needed to leave at 11:30, but I actually needed to be at the airport no later than 11:30. Luckily I was already almost entirely packed and I didn't really need to wash my hair, so I did a speed run through my final preparations, checked out, and lucked out with no traffic on the way to the airport. I can navigate SFO almost as easily and efficiently as I can navigate DSM, so I checked my bags and was through security in less than ten minutes. I didn't have time to eat a leisurely meal like I usually do, but I made it in time to board without issues.

On the way back to Iowa, I read most of a book (THE GOD OF THE WOODS) and generally had a smooth trip. I still had enough energy to drive when I got to Des Moines, so I drove home last night and caught up with [censored] a bit before going to bed.

Today was pretty low-key - I slept later than planned due to my jetlag, but then I rallied, made some tea, took a shower, and went with [censored] to inspect [censored] before going out to the parents' house. We hung out there for awhile, and there are no good/bad updates of any kind, which I suppose is fine but is mostly frustrating.

Then we came home and I spent the afternoon attempting to do some house tasks, successfully doing laundry, and overall trying to strike a balance between sloth and engagement. At some point I went into town and picked up Mexican takeout, and then I spent the rest of the evening tidying up, folding laundry, and painting my nails.

And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

paradise

Today was a bananas day. I got up v early to drive down to Redwood City to get a whole body MRI - my boss organized a group discount, and doing some expensive tech thing to get a baseline of your health is such a silicon valley thing to do. The scan went fine, although lying still for that long was annoying - and I'm looking forward to seeing the results. 

Then I ran a bunch of errands for work, which was a mad scramble - I picked up name tags, got cash, attempted to buy speakers, bought ice, and got to the office to discover that they had all bed dealing with a flood. But we pulled it together enough to host an event today, which was fun. And then I slogged all afternoon, which was less fun. 

But I ducked out around five and met up with Lauren (aka Subz) at Mykonos in Burlingame. The place was super fun an the was giving vibes that reminded us of Touch, which was a club we went to in India when we were children. We had a v excellent conversation and some tasty food, and I am so glad I got to see her. 

While Lauren is always a great way to end my trip, I'm unfortunately ending it earlier than planned - my dad got sick this week, and I decided to cancel my weekend plans and go home tomorrow. So now I'm going to bed early so I can pack and head for the airport tomorrow - goodnight!

baby I just want to dance

I had a v lovely day, all in all - I didn't go to the office because I had several things to take care of near the hotel (namely laundry + picking up a rental car for some things I have to do this week). But I slogged all day with some degree of success, and I continued to slog over a snack to fortify me for a v late dinner reservation. 

Dinner was at Rich Table, which I hadn't been to since a nice night with Jen Lui many years ago. Adit made the reservation today and it's usually hard to get in on that short notice, but all the restaurants in the city seem to have availability right now (prevailing wisdom says it's the after effects of Burning Man last week). Chandlord and I met up and walked over together, which I thought was a nice gesture until I realized she just wanted a captive audience for her slide show of her Bali trip. 

sssanyway, the reservation was at 8:30 (feeling a little like country mouse in the face of these city mouse dinner times), and we had an excellent meal. Their gluten free options were excellent, and we were also able to do vegetarian well, so we all won. We had an excellent caesar salad, an even better burrata and tomato salad, and a v interesting and tasty "peaches and cream" with excellent peaches and some tangy creamy goodness. Our entrees were a gluten free pasta and a fried rice with cheese that was way better than you might have expected. And we ordered an outstanding frozen granita / sherbet thing for dessert, but they also brought me a strawberry panna cotta with a birthday candle. I don't usually love panna cotta, but this one was perfect. 

Throughout all that, we stayed remarkably sober while discussing a variety of life questions (mostly "how are you living"). And now I need to sleep because I have to get to the office all too soon tomorrow - goodnight!

know yourself and who you came in with

I had a surprisingly good first day back after a long weekend - and after not really getting any work done last week, despite being v. busy with work related tings. I chose to go into the office even though a lot of people weren't, and I'm glad I did - it was sunny and the new office is beautiful, and I actually strangely enjoyed riding MUNI (in this case, a train/streetcar that starts underground and then moves overground), which was v. convenient from my hotel to the office. I was the first one in, but Adit and a few other people showed up, which made it worth it.

So I slogged all day, with varying results, and also ate a tasty Korean beef bowl from today's lunch delivery. Then I caught the streetcar back to my hotel, where I relaxed, did a few tings, and then had a late dinner (made even later because the kitchen was slammed by a v. large group and I wanted to die by the time my food came). But all in all it was good, and now I need to wind down and go to bed - the rest of my week is jam-packed with plans and I want to make the most of them. Goodnight!

even the devil need time alone sometimes

I intentionally chose to have another quiet day today - I'm about to embark on a whirlwind of work and social activity, and it was nice to hermit for a bit. I spent the morning writing / eating breakfast at the hotel, which was something I used to love doing during pre-pandemic travel. At some point, I packed everything up, showered, and vacated my room - I had a late checkout, which made everything much more pleasant.

When I checked out, I left my bags with the bell desk and sat at the Fairmont's roof garden while I called my parents and [censored]. Calling my parents on Sundays (or, in this case, the last day of a long weekend) used to be a tradition, so I decided to revive it today. I also had to catch up with [censored] on the latest developments in our general vicinity, since my cameras can't catch all the gossip in town.

Then, I should have come to my new hotel, but instead I had a glass of wine and some fries at the old hotel while writing in my journal. I finally ubered over here and checked in, and I'm in a room that's identical to the room that I spent my covid sick days in in April, so I'm having a bit of PTSD over that. But I got unpacked, organized everything, and then had a late dinner at the bar while getting a head start on some work for tomorrow (or belatedly doing work that I should have done earlier in the weekend).

And now I need to go to bed so that I can get with the program tomorrow - goodnight!

hey I was doing just fine before I met you

I had a lovely day in the city - it was perfectly sunny and just a little breezy, and I took advantage of it. When I woke up I went to Coffee Movement for a latte and a v tasty gluten free orange and pistachio muffin. And then I spent the morning doing some journaling / writing, which is my favorite Sunday activity. 

After I showered, I went to the marina to do some shopping in my old neighborhood. Many of the stores have changed, but it was still nice to walk down Chestnut. I also took my very first Waymo ride - self driving taxis are fully a thing now in San Francisco, and it felt a little wild to get into an empty car and have it drive me (complete with a string wheel that appeared to be turned by ghosts) across the city. It actually felt way safer than many taxis and Ubers I've been in, and it didn't subject me to the convo that one in ten Uber drivers start about how it's impossible to make a living driving Uber (and I did not feel compelled to tip the robot car). I don't know that it's a positive impulse to want to ride in a silent car over engaging with another human, but I quite enjoyed it. 

After the marina, I took the Fillmore bus up to the main Fillmore shopping area. I had lunch (oysters and fries) at Little Shucker, which is a big aesthetic and food improvement over The Grove, which it replaced. I also did some window shopping before coming back to my hotel and taking a nap. 

Then I went to Katrina's new house so I could see both it and her. She has an amazing view of the city, and also has the dilemma of how to redo her kitchen that just about every new homeowner has. The space overall is great, and I can't wait to see what she does with it. Then we walked down the hill and grabbed dinner at a delicious Detroit-style pizza place that had the most perfect pizza. 

After we caught up on many subjects, it was time to say farewell. And I'm falling asleep as I write this, so I'm going to end abruptly - goodnight!

scratch, kick, let gravity win

I had a v lovely day - I kept it totally open to recover from the last couple of weeks, and it was exactly what I needed. I spent most of it doing spa tings while staying off my phone, and I should do that much more often. 

But even though I spent much of the day lying down, I feel desperately in need of going to bed - goodnight!

do you want to kick it seaside

I had a very nice low-key day. I got a ton of sleep last night, which was very welcome after a long week of fitful slumber. And I worked from my hotel this morning while having breakfast, which is one of my favorite things to do. 

At some point I went into the office and said hi to Adit - we recently switched spaces and I wanted to acclimate before the million meetings I have on Tuesday. Then I met up with Heather (aka dear respected madam) for lunch at Regent Thai. She lives in Oregon now, but she happened to be in SF this week, so it was v serendipitous to see her. At some point Durand joined us, which was also great, and it was a v nice couple of hours.

Then I came back to my hotel and worked the rest of the day, with some breaks to talk to Katie and also to Chandlord. And now I need to sleep because I have a v rigorous day planned tomorrow (which means I'm going to veg out at a spa for a few hours). Goodnight!

heartbreak hotel

No blog tonight - I'm safely ensconced in my hotel in SF after wrapping up an excellent conference. I drove to the city with Emily, which was a v fun way to end, and then I grabbed pizza at delfina, ran some errands, unpacked, etc.

But now it's time for bed - goodnight!