turn up the lights

No blog tonight - I had a lovely day, mostly on the roof deck, and I got a lot of writing done before having Mexican food for dinner. But now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

farewell my room of lies, have you gone at last

I had an excellent day, all in all - except for the lack of sleep, which was caused by staying up too late + sleeping in a bed with a squeaky frame and poor pillows (note: I played the evil mother-in-law in The Princess and the Pea once, and I can guarantee any princess would have reacted poorly to this bed). I woke up around 5:30am and couldn't go back to sleep, although I did doze a bit from 7-8am. But I can hear the ocean crashing through my window, and I got a ton of sun today, so I am absolutely not going to complain.

When I did get up, I took a quick shower and then walked to Starbucks (another thing I'm not going to complain about) to get a venti cold brew and some egg bites. Then I wrote for a couple of hours while sitting in the sun on the roof deck - and I talked to Annika and Veronica too. At that point, it was getting too hot for my princess-y constitution, so I went downstairs, cooled down, and ordered a poke bowl for lunch.

After I ate, I eventually succumbed to the desire for a nap, which saved me. And then I did some more writing this afternoon - I'm toying with a new storyline, which I'm v. excited about, but it's early days.

Finally, it was time for dinner - we ordered Mediterranean, and I was delighted with my chicken kebab and all the ridiculous conversation (and the 'vodka shots', which were extremely small sips of some local vodka that Christie made us take). And now, I think I'm going to go to bed early and hope to reset my body for a week of productivity ahead - goodnight!

baby's in reno with the vitamin d

I have successfully arrived at my writing retreat, and if I miss any nights posting, you should assume I'm alive because I have several friends here who know how to get in touch with ye olde Iowa. Today was absolutely lovely as a way to settle into SoCal life - I got up, grabbed some coffee from the cafe downstairs, used my massage gun to work out the tightness in my calves and back (a serious upgrade from traveling with a softball that I used to roll against my muscles in an attempt to create the same effect), showered, etc.

Then, I met up with an old VP (I would call her a big boss, although not the original big boss from 2009, nor any of my more recent big bosses) for a ladies' brunch. She started at my former place of employment about a week before the pandemic, and I met her in person exactly once before everything shut down and I assumed I would never see her again. We worked together somewhat closely for a couple of years, although I never reported to her, but she left a bit before I did. We reconnected in the last few months via LinkedIn, though, and she lives in SoCal, so when I told her I would be around we decided to meet up.

It was an absolutely lovely interlude - turns out we have a lot in common, or at least in parallel, and so we chatted for a couple of hours over brunch (overlooking the ocean) and a glass of wine. And then we parted ways and I spent a few hours at the rooftop pool, taking advantage of my 4pm checkout to soak in as much sun (and tuna tartare) as possible.

Then, I reluctantly checked out of the hotel and took an uber to Carlsbad, where we checked into our retreat house. It's the same place some of us have rented for years, so it's pleasantly familiar. There are a few new faces in the group, but all in all I know 12 of the 14 people (including myself), and some of my besties are here, so it should be a good week. We did the usual room selection rigamarole, and then we ordered pizza (which I suggested doing a week ago and got people to look at the menu before we arrived so that we could order smoothly and no one, especially myself, would get hangry).

After dinner, we all shared our goals for the week/year, which was fun but also tiring when I'm still on central time. I usually hit a wall during this exercise, and Grace happened to be sitting next to me for what she and I have previously experienced as 'troll hour' (where I start muttering trollish comments and she mutters back or nudges me to be quiet). But it was still quite lovely, and I'm excited for the week and the year ahead, so we'll see what happens.

Eventually, I came upstairs and unpacked, and now I need to sleep - I want to try to stay on central time just so I get up earlier here, but it's 11:45pm and I'm backsliding. Goodnight!

every myth cheats death just the same

I had a nearly perfect day - perhaps it would have been more perfect with a bunch of friends, but who's to say. I got a ton of sleep but still woke up a little after seven, which is the miracle of an east-to-west travel pattern. I went downstairs and grabbed a cup of coffee, and then I sat in a chair overlooking the ocean and drank my coffee while journaling. This is a big upgrade from looking at a five-foot berm of snow between me and a convenience store, let me tell you.

When I finally got tired of journaling (and ran out of coffee), I took a quick shower and then had breakfast at one of the hotel restaurants. Then, I put on my swimsuit and spent the whole afternoon at the rooftop pool. This was mostly relaxing, although there was a family of cannonballing children who harshed my mellow a bit...but some tequila restored it, so I was in a good mood overall. And I watched the sun set over the Pacific while eating oysters and drinking a glass of rosé, which is about as nice of an end to the day as one can have.

As soon as the sun set, it started to get cold, so I retired to my room and changed before seeking out dinner. I went to the bar of the Mexican restaurant in my hotel, which happens to have a Michelin star - and I have never had a Michelin-star quesadilla before, but I am here to report that it absolutely deserves that star, and it is exponentially better than any quesadilla made by Napoleon Dynamite. In fact, I had the quesadilla (although they called it a quesataco), and then the tamal (also outstanding), and I ordered another quesadilla instead of getting desert, and I have #noregrets. And I had some Mexican tempranillo to go with it - I'm completely unfamiliar with Mexican wine, but this red was particularly delightful.

While I ate, I finished the book I started at the pool (THE BULLET THAT MISSED). And now, it's only 10:15pm Pacific, but I think I need to start winding down - goodnight!

let your feelings slip boy but never your mask boy

I had a v. nice first day in California. Thanks to the time difference, I actually woke up just before sunrise, and I showered, got ready, etc. in time for an earlyish hotel breakfast. The decor was fabulous (as is the decor throughout the hotel), but the food was a little disappointing - mostly because the potatoes weren't hot and lukewarm potatoes are a tragedy, as some people would say. But my coffee was delish and it was nice to not have to think about where to get food when I'd just woken up.

Then I took a bit of a walk - not far, but I walked to the end of Oceanside Pier, which is 1954 feet long. 1954 feet was far enough to walk out into the Pacific, but luckily my fear of heights (and fear of drowning) was merely murmuring in a disgruntled fashion instead of forcing me to abandon the endeavor entirely. Then I came back to the hotel and took a wee bit of a nap at 10:30am - unusual, but I do sometimes nap after lunch, and the timezones were conspiring against me.

Then, I met up with my friend Tanya for lunch. We reconnected a year or so ago and have been having semiregular zoom chats, but I hadn't seen her in person in at least a decade. She drove up from wherever she lives in San Diego, and we had lunch at another restaurant on the hotel property. This one looks directly out over the ocean, and we had good seats outside, so it was a delight. And my ceviche + my ginger ale were exactly right for what I wanted, so that was exciting too. Tanya was in fine form, and we discussed all sorts of stuff about parental illnesses, the tech world, politics, etc. until it was time to part ways. We also grabbed pies from the Top Gun house, which now sells gluten free hand pies, which are a) not quite as good as the Amish hand pies and b) not an intuitive use of the Top Gun house, but it was still fun.

After that, I messed around for a bit with my writing, and then got a mani/pedi, which took forever because they started nearly half an hour after my appointment time and then did the manicure and pedicure consecutively rather than concurrently, which always feels like a waste. But my nails look nice, so that's great. And then I had dinner at a fabulous sushi place (surprisingly good - I didn't have high hopes, but it was the best sushi I've had in a v. long time).

And now, I need to go to bed so that I can embark on some serious writing activities tomorrow - goodnight!

surf's up

I'm v tired and so this will be brief, but I made it to Oceanside with no issues. The only "issue" was self inflicted - I had a 3.75 hour layover in Denver that turned into almost five hours due to an issue with the plane, and I spent much of it drinking a nice (and free}) red wine and eating some delish food in the AmEx lounge. I don't usually go there because it's not in United's main concourse, but it was worth it this time even if I had more wine than I intended to have.

But my flights were smooth (other than some bits of turbulence), and my suitcase actually beat me here, so I didn't have to wait for it. Then I took a v long Uber ride to Oceanside, checked into my hotel (which is stunning), changed, and grabbed tacos at a place down the street.

And now, I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

every time i see you, oh, i try to hide away

I spent the whole day, for the most part, getting ready to leave. I woke up early (for me; eight a.m. is probably not early for most people) and did a bunch of morning stuff, and then I ran into town to have a budget meeting for the nonprofit economic dev group I'm part of. I almost canceled, but I'm glad I went since otherwise I would have been lost in the next meeting. Then I went to the doctor's office and got allergy shots - and I worked on the budget follow-up while I waited to see if the shots would kill me (spoiler: like every other time, they did not kill me).

Then I rushed home and frantically packed. Luckily I started yesterday, but I had a lot to organize - now that I no longer travel every couple of weeks, none of my stuff is as streamlined for travel as it used to be. I ate lunch around two p.m., kept packing, and was finally done around 4:30.

In my original plan, I was going to sleep at home tonight and go to the airport early tomorrow. But, it was foggy and misty and in danger of icing, and so I decided to stay in Des Moines tonight and avoid a 5am drive to the airport. I'm so glad I did - the fog at the airport is intense, and if I had to drive through this in the morning, I would be v. sad. Of course, everyone else had the same idea, so that hotel I would have stayed at sold out, and apparently this hotel is now sold out as well.

But I got up here with no issues, and then I grabbed dinner at a v. surprisingly tasty Mediterranean place a couple of blocks from the hotel. It was truly excellent, and also cheap, so hopefully I'll go back sometime. And then I did a bunch of work in the lobby, and now I need to go to bed - I don't have to get up as early as I would have if I'd stayed home, but I still have to get up early for me (and maybe even early for most people). Goodnight!

maybe if you just got some guts we'd kill 'em with a thousand cuts

I did not get enough done today - I did if I stay home all day tomorrow, but I think there's a chance I will go to Des Moines tomorrow night so that I can catch my flight on Thursday without dealing with fog/ice, and that compresses my usual packing timeline. I also theoretically have some meetings/appointments tomorrow, although some of that may have to shift if I'm going to leave in the early evening.

Other than too-low productivity, my day was good - I did a bunch of laundry and a bunch of house stuff, figured out outfits to pack, ran some local errands, etc. And I had my parents over for dinner - we had a v. odd dinner, since I made the shrimp alfredo that my dad likes, but then I made Ukrainian cheese pancakes for 'dessert'. Both dishes turned out v. well, if I do say so myself, but they aren't usually served as part of the same meal (or in the same country). And it was good to see them before my trip - making dinner was worth not having to get my car dirty by trying to get to their house, which might have been difficult anyway given the extreme amounts of snow/mud between here and there.

After they left, I did more packing, figured out my toiletries, etc. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

you know my river won't evaporate

I was fairly productive today, all in all - there's always more to do, but I was somewhat diligent about crossing things off the list. I worked all morning, had lunch with [censored], and then went into town to review some financial stuff for a nonprofit board that I'm on. Then I came home, did a variety of additional tings, etc.

Eventually, [censored] left, and I spent the evening doing a bit of laundry, eating some leftover prime rib (tasty), doing a bit more work, and scrolling the internet. And now, I should sleep - goodnight!

i know a woman in new mexico

I actually wrote a post last night, but I was typing it on my phone while I was falling asleep (and kept dropping my phone on my face), and I somehow didn't publish it. So, it's below for posterity!

Today was v. lowkey - I'm very tired of it being too cold / messy to do stuff, and it's getting to my mood. But I started off strong - I slept in, and then I made syrniki (Ukrainian cheese pancakes) with the farmer's cheese that I created this week. I used gluten free flour and they turned out great - since they aren't a dough that needs to rise, the gluten free flour worked just fine. And so far there is no sign that the homemade farmer's cheese is going to poison us, so fingers crossed that that trend continues.

The syrniki turned out v. tasty, if I do say so myself - even better with a dollop of sour cream and some blackberry preserves on top. It's interesting to me how Slavic cuisine really leaned into 'sour' as an important flavor, because sour cream goes with everything they make. You can't really taste the cheese in the pancakes, per se, even though it's the main ingredient; instead, it just imparts a savory / slightly sour flavor. All in all, I'm a fan, and [censored] ate several too.

Drewbaby and his friend came back from hunting while I was making the syrniki (they were out at my parents' house in the wee hours to hunt, although they spent last night at my house). They each had one, and then left in search of real food before heading back to Des Moines. Then, I took care of a variety of tings around the house, none of which is interesting.

Eventually, after getting through the day, I made burrito bowls for dinner, which [censored] and I ate while watching last night's SNL. And now, I need to start unwinding so I can go to bed and get a million things done tomorrow - goodnight!

// last night's post:

The last couple of days have been nice, albeit v cold. I went to Des Moines yesterday, which was probably ill advised due to the cold and snow conditions - but I had an appointment to inject botox into my jaw to stop it from clenching, and I didn’t want to forsake it just because of a little weather.

The rest of the day was quick - I didn’t feel like venturing to Whole Foods or Costco, but I grabbed lunch, took care of a return, and came home. [censored] and I then went to mom and dad's for supper - mom made a prime rib, which was a delight.

Today was low key by comparison - i did a bunch of house stuff, ate some leftover tofu, and eventually convinced Michael to drive me into town to pick up Mexican food. It was super tasty, and segued almost straight into Drewbaby bringing a friend to spend the night so they can go hunting tomorrow. And now I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

kill the headlights and put it in neutral

I had a pretty decent day, but I'm a little unhappy that we're back to cold / wind / generally abysmal conditions. The day didn't start like that - it was sunny when I woke up, but I missed a lot of it because I slept until nine. I took care of a variety of tings in the morning, trimmed my bangs, took a shower, ate some leftover tofu (truly excellent), and then went into town to get allergy shots.

The allergy shots were fine(ish) - some reaction, but it's dying down. When I came home, the roads were totally fine - and then I got a call from the hospital saying that someone had canceled their mammogram due to weather, and they asked me if I could come in for that slot (in less than an hour). Since I had called earlier in the day to schedule one and they said it might take a couple of months since they were short on techs, I decided to take them up on it. But in the hour that I was home, my windshield iced over, and it started snowing, and the roads started drifting, and I skidded at the corner of the road that leads from the highway to the hospital. And the roads were even worse when I left, so I was glad that I was in and out in twenty-five minutes.

So I came home, did some tings, and took down almost all of my Christmas decorations (except the tree itself, but the ornaments are now all in the basement). I also continued my farmer's cheese experiment, and we'll see how it turns out. I ate leftover pulled pork with a baked potato, sent some emails, and greeted [censored] when he arrived after a harrowing journey home. And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

she's a ten, i'm a four leaf clover

I had a pretty uneventful day, which makes sense since it's still freezing outside and I had the house to myself. I spent the morning writing, which was mostly a delight. I made breakfast tacos, if you can call them breakfast tacos at 1:30pm - scrambled eggs, pulled pork, pickled red onions, sour cream, and salsa, which were delish. Then I messed around with my farmer's cheese experiment, journaled, etc.

Eventually, I made dinner - a new tofu stir fry recipe that turned out perfectly. And then I retired to my room and read all of THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE in one fell swoop. It's the sequel to the mystery I read last week, and it was a total delight.

But now, I need to go to bed (or drink some water and stretch after not moving for 4+ hours) - goodnight!

and i'm great at doing stuff

I have nothing to report today - I made it out of bed early and went to town for an 8:30am meeting, which was more than enough effort for the day. It was still below zero, but the roads weren't too terrible (although seeing around massive piles of snow at corners was a bit of a trick). My meeting was fine, and I grabbed a couple of things at the grocery store after - I'd say their resupply trucks have been spotty, but I'm not at any risk of starving.

Then I came home, did some tings, ate some leftover cobb salad for lunch, chatted with [censored], etc. I also embarked on an experiment to make farmer's cheese - we'll see how it looks in a few days. And I spent the evening taking care of more tings, eating leftover pulled pork, etc.

And now, I think I'm going to get off my computer and unwind before bed - goodnight!

anywhere else i'd be a ten

I am tired of the absurdly cold temperatures - it's giving too many flashbacks to being stuck in my house during the pandemic. And since I can't sell this house and move to my third home, because the third home doesn't exist, I would like to get back to slightly more normal temperatures sooner rather than later.

I was not feeling in it to win it today - I did some journaling, and I read a book, and I made some notes on my manuscript, but otherwise I was pretty lazy. And all of my meals consisted of leftovers (tasty leftovers: cobb salad for lunch, pulled pork for dinner), so I didn't even have to get my act together long enough to cook something.

But tomorrow is a new (cold) day, and I should go to bed so that I can seize it. And finally, happy birthday to Drewbaby! Goodnight!

i want to take you for granted

It continues to be ridiculously cold here - so cold that [censored] couldn't get [censored] to start, and so the truck is sitting in my driveway despite having its engine block heater plugged in for several hours. The cold is ridiculous, but we're getting more of the same tomorrow.

Despite the ongoing snow days, I woke up earlier than usual just so that I could put a pork shoulder in the oven to roast all day. Putting it in at eight meant taking it out around five, and then I let it rest before shredding it. It turned out deliciously, if I do say so myself, and it was extremely hands off (until the shredding process at the end, which is extremely hands on - but the new bear claws I got for Christmas helped).

While the pork cooked all day, I wrote in the morning and then cleaned upstairs all afternoon. And then, when eating dinner, [censored] and I watched Barbie, which I liked a lot. I think it was a little too hyped over the last few months for me to watch it without expectations, but it was fun, so I'm glad I finally got to see it.

Then I came upstairs and finished reading THURSDAY MURDER CLUB, which was fantastic. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

now you're tire tracks and one pair of shoes

It is shockingly cold in ye olde Iowa. I realize that it is shockingly cold in much of the US, but we're going to be below zero for days, which feels like an unwelcome start to the year. It's especially unwelcome given how much snow is sitting around unmelted, but hopefully we'll survive.

I was somewhat productive today, but it was mostly in the kitchen. When I got up, I made all the ingredients for cobb salads - which meant cooking bacon, poaching chicken, chopping up tomatoes/onions/lettuce, etc. While the chicken was resting, I took a quick shower, and then [censored] and I had salad for lunch (which was a welcome respite after several days of cooking heavier tings). Then I put together four more salads in mason jars for the next couple of days.

At that point, I retreated to my office with plans to get tings done. And I did do a little bit...but then [censored] needed a ride, which was an adventure bc the roads are quite bad even in town (and impossible in the country). [Censored] needed a ride because his attempt to go to my dad's shop was met with impassible snow at every entrance to the shop, so I had to drop [censored] off and hope that he could wade to the shop through all the snow. It turns out wading was possible...but the snow was so deep around the doors that he couldn't get in to move things around sufficiently so that he could pull out the necessary equipment to dig out the driveway. So I went back to retrieve [censored], and he took a v. cold ride to the shop on a cabless tractor.

I will say, the snow was quite pretty, especially since the sun was out - but it was also -1 at 3pm, which was not great. After my excursion, I did a couple of tings and then had a long chat with the friendship renewal crew (Joann, Jane, and Jen) - we talked for almost two hours, which was much needed. Then I made fresh roasted broccoli to go with leftover salmon (the rice was also fresh, thanks to me discovering the timer setting on my rice cooker so that the rice cooked while I was on my call). [Censored] and I ate while watching some basketball, but the Iowa State game was a blowout (in our favor), so I cleaned up the kitchen, prepped a pork shoulder to roast tomorrow, and retreated upstairs.

Now, after journaling and doing a variety of other office-related tings, it's time for bed - goodnight!

it's been a long december

I'm not sure what day it is anymore - it has felt like a weekend all week, and I think the actual weekend will start going a little feral. Yesterday was a mad dash to do everything before last night's insane weather started - I made three trips to town yesterday, which is three more than I usually make. But I got groceries before the store was out of milk, then went to a board meeting, and then went back for a third time to get allergy shots. I also got gas in my car, dropped off some stuff at the post office, dropped off some donations at Redeemed, and generally got ready to hunker down.

Yesterday's freedom feels like a distant memory now - we got a whole bunch of snow last night and today, and winds of 30-40mph today have made travel impossible. [Censored] did a lot of driveway clearing with the tractor, but I suspect that it will look untouched by morning. But we got the tractor into the garage and put my car out into the tender mercies of the elements - in the grand scheme of the upcoming weather, a tractor is way more useful than an Audi, so it got priority over my stupid German car.

Beyond that, I had a pretty good day - I didn't get enough done, but it felt like a snow day, so I'm being lenient. I did have a chat with my old editor and she gave me some suggestions / market insights, which was great. And I made salmon teriyaki for dinner, which was a nice change from leftover beef stew and burrito bowls.

I wrapped up the night by watching some Family Guy with [censored], and then I read the first half of THURSDAY MURDER CLUB, which my editor recommended and which is hilarious. And now I need to sleep before I let myself stay up way too late to finish it - goodnight!

i don't wanna wait to do this one more time

I was taken completely and utterly by surprise tonight when [censored] casually mentioned that we're supposed to get another 8+" of snow tomorrow night and Friday. The weather forecast has drastically degraded - I already knew that it won't get above zero for a few days, but another 8" of snow is a kick in the teeth.

However, when I didn't know that, I managed to have a great day. It was sunny for most of the morning / early afternoon, and I managed to get a bunch of stuff done. I also had the last of the leftover pasta for lunch, which was delish. I had a couple of meetings with various people, did some house stuff, and then went into town for a library board meeting. The roads weren't bad at all on the way there (mostly because I live on a paved road and the paved roads are in decent shape; any gravel roads are probably dicey). And the meeting was good, so I'm glad we still had it. But when I left the meeting an hour later, it was snowing again, and it had already obscured the center line markers on the way home.

When I got home, I talked to [censored] while making dinner (the usual burrito bowls, which were as good as always). We also watched a bit of tv while digesting, which was fun. And now I need to go to bed so I can get up tomorrow and run a variety of errands and tings before the snow and cold really kick in - goodnight!

look at the night and it don't seem so lonely

We have thus far survived the epic snowstorm -- we got a little less snow than expected, but still more snow than anyone would probably want. It doesn't help that it's unlikely to melt off, and that we will probably get some more later this week...before the temperatures sink below zero and stay there for a couple of days. 2024 is off to a cold start!

But today was lovely, all in all. I slept later than planned, but I did get a couple of really good hours of writing in over the course of the day. I also dealt with a bunch of emails that I had been neglecting - never enough, but better than nothing. [Censored] and I had leftover cajun andouille/shrimp pasta for the third day, and I am astonished that this is the first pasta dish ever that keeps getting better with age. I also talked to Katie for awhile, and she was an utter delight.

At some point, I vacated my desk and peeled potatoes so that we could have a fresh batch of mashed potatoes, and I resimmered last night's beef stew (which also gets better with age). We ate it while watching the ISU vs Houston men's basketball game, and it was a doozy - very fun to watch, and more fun because the Cyclones won. Welcome to the Big 12, Houston, I hope you hate it here.

After that, I cleaned up the kitchen, did a bit more work and a bit more writing, etc. But now I think I'm going to crawl into bed and either go to sleep (good idea) or read a book (good idea that is destined to keep me up until two a.m., which is a bad idea). Goodnight!

i was born to rock the boat, some may sink but we will float

I spent this morning preparing for snow - which meant getting up earlier than usual so that I could finish cleaning out my garage, which enabled me to get my car into my parking spot. I don't usually park in the garage because it's v. tight (even empty), but the threat of 6-12" of snow made me reconsider.

After I moved all my stuff and helped [censored] with a couple of tings, I walked down to the post office / city hall / lumber yard to take care of some last bits of mail / bills. Then I showered rather rapidly so that I could talk to my friend / former coworker Natalie about writing stuff, which was a delight.

At that point, it was time for lunch - [censored] and I both had leftover shrimp and andouille pasta, which was strangely even better than it was last night (odd for a pasta dish, but the gluten free pasta soaks up all liquid, and so it became quite flavorful and the sauce was less soupy). After that, it started snowing, and I gave myself a manicure while listening to a Conan podcast.

Eventually, I started cooking again - I kicked off cooking festivities earlier than usual, which was a good thing because the new-to-me recipe was wrong about cooking times, and so starting at four still meant that we didn't eat until almost 7:30pm. But I made a beef stew that was somewhat of a cross between boeuf bourguignon and more midwesternish stews, using a New York Times Cooking recipe that I modified (and also doubled). I usually don't modify on the first round, but I'm glad I did - I seasoned the beef with onion powder, garlic powder, and salt before searing, which I think made a world of difference. I also used almost twice as much beef as it called for, with no regrets. I might make a couple of other minor tweaks, but overall it was excellent (good thing, since I made a vat of it).

What really made it, though, was that I made mashed potatoes to serve under the stew. Some might think that potatoes two ways is unnecessary, but I consider it v. necessary. So [censored] and I enjoyed a nice hearty beef and potato feast while watching Mike Birbiglia's latest standup special on Netflix, among other tings.

And now, I need to go to bed - I didn't get any writing done today despite my best intentions, so I'm going to rectify that tomorrow. Goodnight!

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

A winter storm is bearing down on us, and while I didn't do all that much to prepare for it today, I could feel it looming. I did go to the grocery store twice -- once to get the actual things on my list, and then again when I found some andouille sausage in the fridge and decided to make a cajun andouille and shrimp pasta for dinner. The ridiculous part of that decision was that the sausage was three weeks past the date, and so I bought fresh andouille at the grocery store (along with the other tings I needed), none of which was necessary because I had planned to make something else tonight anyway.

But I get a lot of joy out of trying new recipes, so I'm glad I put in the effort. I made the recipe mostly as written, although I doubled the quantities of everything except the pasta - I used gluten free fettuccine, and that stuff soaks up any liquid that it encounters. I think if I made it again, I would dice the peppers and onions instead of slicing them - and perhaps serve it over rice instead of pasta, but that's all tbd. All that said, it was a worthy first effort, and I think I'll keep it as part of the extended repertoire.

Other than that, I have nothing much to report - I did ride my Peloton for the first time in ages, which felt great. I also did some writing tonight and figured out a scene that was blocking me, so hopefully I can get into it tomorrow. And now, I need to go to bed - there's some stuff I want to get done before the snow arrives tomorrow, so I have some incentive to wake up in the morning. Goodnight!

in the morning there'll be hell to pay somewhere along the line

Today was v. similar, in many respects, to yesterday - it was dreary outside, and I got more done than I expected to despite the weather. I also had the same breakfast (coffee) and the same lunch (chicken taco meat + brown rice + avocado), so there is almost nothing to distinguish today from yesterday.

However, the evening was different - [censored] and I went out to Mom and Dad's, where we finished watching the Iowa State/Oklahoma basketball game. Mom made beef and noodles with mashed potatoes -she tried using a gluten free fettuccine that I like, and they turned out perfectly. Pasta can't completely replace her old homemade egg noodles, but it got pretty close, and I was v. happy to eat them.

After we cleaned up, we tried a game of Ticket to Ride: San Francisco, which [censored] had gotten me for Christmas. It was pretty similar to regular Ticket to Ride, but the map is a lot smaller, and the verdict was that the neighbordhoods/locations were hard to read in the hippie-ish font that the game used. But it was fun to try something different, even if [censored] did win.

And now, I need to go to bed (at some point in the next two hours) - goodnight!

the way is long but you can make it easy on me

I had about as good of a day as I could have when the weather felt bleak - it's well-documented that I don't do as well when the skies are grey, which does not bode well for January. But I got up this morning (at a more civilized hour than the last two days), made some coffee, showered, and then wrote for about three hours. This made me feel v. satisfied with myself, even if I was starving by the end of it.

Luckily, while I was writing I also made some fresh brown rice in my rice cooker, so lunch was fresh rice + leftover chicken taco meat + avocado and sour cream, and it was delicious. [censored] had gone on an expedition this morning before I woke up, but returned just before I ate lunch, so we discussed what [censored] had done (yes, I'm censoring as per usual, but you're not missing much).

Then I ran some errands of my own, came home, messed around and took care of a couple of tasks, and then headed east. I went to Nancy and Dan's house for a glass of wine before driving them to dinner - Nancy and I spent a lot of time together during the mural festival but hadn't seen each other in awhile, and so we got together tonight. We ended up going to Honey Creek, which is a resort on Lake Rathbun - it's v. unusual for around here, and it's struggled in the past, but it's under new ownership (who Nancy and Dan are friends with) and I was pretty impressed with what they've done so far. I thought the food was average, but they're between chefs and it sounds like they're getting someone good, so hopefully that improves. But the rest of the property was quite nice, so I would go back and check it out in a few months.

When we were done, I dropped them off at home and got myself to my house before it started snowing - which is a good thing, because we've gotten more in the last hour than I thought we would. And now I need to go to sleep - goodnight!

and my stomach is sick and it's all in my head

I had a pretty decent day today, even if I did wake up at 6:40 for the second day in a row. This time, I didn't get to watch my favorite Dutch theatre troupe - instead, I went to an informal monthly coffee thing for local community people who are working on various community tings. I did not partake of their coffee (I'm still a Philz snob) or their donuts (I'm still a gluten snob), but it was a good conversation and I was glad that I dragged myself to it.

Then I came home, took a v. brief, v. unusual 9:30am nap, and got on with my day. I did some house stuff, mailed some return packages, ate some lunch, and then went back into town for a meeting of the mural committee. We're still going because we need to promote this mural trail to get any benefit out of it, so we had a meeting to discuss some upcoming plans. Then I came home again, did more house stuff (mostly laundry), messed around online, wrote a bit, snacked, wrote some more, etc.

At some point, [censored] got home, which was a good reminder that I had never eaten dinner. So I ate a bunch of cheese and salami while he reacclimated himself to the house, and then we discussed [censored] for awhile. And now I should probably sleep - goodnight!

mijn koninkrijk voor een paard

I had a v. unusual morning - I woke up at 6:30am so that I could catch a livestream performance of my favorite Dutch theatre troupe. I know, most people in the US don't have favorite Dutch theatre troupes. But the group that did ROMAN TRAGEDIES qualifies as my favorite. I saw them for the first time in London in 2017 -- that show was six hours and was an amalgamation of three of Shakespeare's Roman tragedies (Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra), but the audience could mingle on stage with the performers and it was an incredible event. I saw that show again via livestream in the height of the pandemic + my dad's hospitalization in 2021, on a day when it was bitterly cold, and I lured [censored] into watching most of it with me.

Today's show was KINGS OF WAR, which had a similar vibe - it combined some of Shakespeare's English tragedies that covered the reigns of Henry V, Henry VI, Richard III, and (spoiler) the accession of Henry VII. They managed to do it in 4.5 hours (including a 20min intermission), and it was a bit trippy. Like ROMAN TRAGEDIES, the actors wore modern (well, 1960s vibe) suits and the set was decorated accordingly. But, interestingly, a lot of the action took place "backstage" - in a series of stark white corridors that wound around the main set, viewable to the audience via camera crews and hidden cameras that followed the actors through the hallways. This doesn't make sense as I explain it, but it meant they could do some interesting things with settings....the leadup to the Battle of Agincourt felt like a French rave (raucous partying, French techno, fog machines obscuring the dauphin and the French troops, who were overly confident and then lost horribly), and there was one scene with live sheep and another with a surprise baby being crowned (which may, I'm guessing, have been filmed in advance to avoid unexpected crying).

sssanyway, the play was quite good and I'm glad I watched it, but it screwed up my day a bit because I was both tired when it ended and also wired from way too much coffee and not enough food. So I slowly recovered, did a few things, ate a twice baked potato, made some eggs a little later, etc. I also talked to Veronica, which was a delight. And I made some chicken tacos in my slow cooker - it was as easy as possible, since I just dumped chicken breasts, a couple of cups of salsa, and a bunch of spices in and cooked it for four hours. I also made brown rice to go with it, and the resulting bowl was delicious.

And now, I need to go to bed and hope that I stop thinking of random Dutch words overnight -- the play was subtitled, but I heard a lot of broeder, koning, bloed, zwart, etc. and I need to get them out of my head. Goodnight!

high on the hog

Happy New Year! I'm v. excited for 2024, mostly because my handwritten scrawl produces odd-looking threes and it has bothered me in my journal all year.

I woke up this morning after not quite enough sleep, but I felt better than I deserved after drinking a whole bottle of wine (over the course of six hours) and eating two funfetti cupcakes (over the course of five minutes). I made coffee, cleaned some of the dishes in my kitchen, showered, and then went out to my parents' house with a few bags of food and a lot of twice-baked potatoes. Drewbaby, Sammie, and Aunt Kathy came down for lunch, and we had a v. lowkey but tasty meal - we ate the second batch of ham balls that I made at Christmas, as well as twice-baked potatoes, baked beans, and a salad. It wasn't an extravagant feast, but it was extremely delicious, and it was also much easier than most of our feasts, so I'll take it.

Then, everyone but my dad played a few rounds of CAMEL UP - it continues to be a crowd-pleaser, and also is so strategic-but-unpredictable that the wins were spread pretty evenly (I think it was Aunt Kathy, Drewbaby, and me for the wins today). The Des Moines area crew left around four to get home and prepare for work tomorrow (or, in Aunt Kathy's case, prepare to continue to enjoy retirement), and I talked to my parents for a bit before coming home and chilling out.

This mostly meant hanging out at my desk, which I have greatly missed the last few days after too many shenanigans. But I did make a plate of fancy cheese and charcuterie (which I had bought for this afternoon but didn't get out in the midst of game playing), which made for a tasty dinner. I also talked to [censored] for a bit before retreating to my office again and messing around with my new 2024 planner. And now, I need to sleep - I'm hoping I can get a little caught up tonight and still get up early enough tomorrow to be somewhat productive. Goodnight!

talking bout sun darts

It was gloomy today and I wasn't in the mood, but that's small town life during mud season. I slept very late, and then I made coffee and had a long impromptu convo with Jess, which was a complete delight. I wish people still called each other the way we used to when it was long distance and actually required monetary investment instead of advanced planning, because it's actually great.

Then, I put some potatoes in the oven, did a bunch of house stuff, ate a latte lunch, cooked some bacon, and made some twice baked potatoes for tomorrow's festivities. I kept doing house stuff until I could bear it no longer, and finally showered around five pm. And then I made a double batch of spaghetti sauce - a single batch would have sufficed, but now there's sauce in the freezer for a rainy (muddy) day.

[Censored] and I watched the latest Chappelle special while we ate spaghetti, which had some gratuitously offensive parts and some hilariously introspective parts, as his specials usually do. Then we finished the final season of Letterkenny, which was v bittersweet. It ended just as midnight hit, and we rang in the new year with thawed funfetti cupcakes that I'd kept in the freezer. And now, I really need to go to bed - goodnight!