it's the season of the sticks

Nothing exciting to report tonight - I wrote a bit this morning, went to town to get groceries (and drop some money at the thrift store), worked some more, ate lunch, and then got allergy shots. Then I went to Centerville on search of a ham, but failed to find one. So [censored] and I had dinner in Garden Grove since I couldn't make the dinner I wanted.

Then we watched some TV, I adjourned upstairs but mostly read about the Ottomans and the sultans' tendencies to murder their brothers upon ascending to the throne (no relation to my plans for [censored]). And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

extra bright I want y'all to see this

I had a decent day, all in all. I slept in, got somewhat ready, and then talked to Katie for a v long time since we were overdue for a catch-up. Before I called her, I put a baked potato in the oven, which made for a v nice lunch with some leftover barbecued chicken.

Then, I spent the afternoon doing some work - first a chat with a writer friend about productivity, and then some work to finish a program I had to give at my secret society tonight. I finished with just enough time to shower, put on makeup, and find a better outfit than sweats... But I really just wanted to wear sweats because it was 74 yesterday and 14 this morning. So I compromised with thermal leggings and a cardigan, which seemed to work.

Then I ate some leftover pasta and sped into town for my meeting. It was all good and my program went well, so I'm glad the ladies had fun with it. And then I came home, chatted with [censored], watched some FRIENDS, and messed around on my phone until I realized it's time for bed. Goodnight!

garden of rhythm

I have nothing to report today: I got up later than planned, had some cold brew while taking care of various administrative tasks, and then showered so I could go into town for lunch. I met up with Brenda so that we could talk about the website for the mural trail, which I am way overdue on finishing because I completely lost interest after the festival was over. But I'm getting going with it again, and talking through some of the details with her was helpful.

Then I got gas at the new Casey's (v exciting! both that we have a new Casey's and that they sell premium fuel for my premium Audi). And then I swung by my parents' house to relieve them of some chicken hindquarters - my dad rotisserie'd two chickens on Sunday and we ate one of them then, but neither of them really like dark meat, so I was the beneficiary of their poor taste in chicken parts.

Then I came home with the intent of writing outside for awhile, but I mistimed it - it was 74 degrees at 2pm, but by 5pm it was 37. I was home before five, but the wind that brought this crazy cold with it had already started. So I did some tings around the house, chatted with [censored] until his departure, and then spent the evening doing a mix of laundry, eating, journaling, taking care of admin stuff, and talking to Adit.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

lustre and mist

I had a v. nice day, all in all. I woke up and got to my desk as fast as I ever do (after cleaning up / pouring some cold brew / saying hi to [censored]), and I wrote for most of the morning. Then I had a chat with Heather (aka dear respected madam), which is always good for my spirits. And then I wrote a bit more after, since I was still in the groove, and I wanted to stay in the groove as long as I could.

When I finally felt done, I ate a late lunch, and then I took a walk around town. It was seventy-ish degrees here today, which is absurd, but that meant I was basically contractually obligated to go outside and enjoy it. When I got home, I relaxed for a bit, and then I made dinner - some cajun pasta recipe that I continue modifying to find exactly the right combo, but tonight's was pretty good.

Once dinner was ready, [censored] and I ate while watching this week's SNL. And when we were done and I had cleaned up the kitchen, I came upstairs and did a couple of hours of work-type stuff - mostly emails, but all tings that I needed to do and had been putting off.

And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

i think it burns my sense of truth to hear me shouting at my youth

I had a pretty fun day, especially considering that it mostly involved moving tape measures and string around my yard. I'm planning to build a fence, but the property lines on a one-acre yard are a little less obvious than they were when I lived in apartment buildings and half-duplexes. So, since it was bizarrely nice today, [censored] and I went hunting for survey pins buried in the yard.

Thanks to my dad's metal locator (a real upgrade over oldschool metal detectors) + [censored]'s maps of my property + [censored]'s very nice 200ft tape measure, we appear to have found all four pins marking the corners of my yard. It took a couple of hours, but that was surprisingly fast and lucky since we weren't sure where they were and also weren't sure they still existed. After we found them all, [censored] and I ran a string along the line that is most in need of a fence, and spray painted a neon pink dashed line across the yard so we could visualize the fence. Of course, the hope is that this spray painted line also starts training that neighbor not to park shit in my yard - I realize an acre yard is not small and I am not overtly using that space, but it's time to lay down the law.

After we wrapped all that up, we went to the shop to drop off dad's locator + check my tires, and then I came home and wrote most of the rest of the afternoon (after some snacks + some judicious social media breaks). I actually wrote on my balcony for an hour and a half, which is absurd in February - but it was almost seventy degrees, the sun was shining, and I saw my first robin of the year out in the yard. And I killed two mosquitoes who came for me, which is even more absurd in February. So we'll see how hot/bad June is, but for now February is nice enough to want to get outside and enjoy it.

Then, I went out to my parents' house for dinner - Dad was testing his new rotisserie on some chickens, which turned out perfectly but also took about an hour longer to cook than planned. But Mom mad scalloped potatoes to go with them, and it meant that [censored] and I hung out longer than we might otherwise have, so it was a nice evening.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

lost frequencies

I have nothing of note to report today - I did some minor bits of work, a little bit of writing, some journaling, etc. And I eventually got out of the house - [censored] and I went to Chariton to pick something up at a supply store there, and we had dinner at the Iron Horse / Charitone. My steak was pretty good, and the baked potato was the size of two potatoes - so I have a v. sizable leftover for some meal in the next few days.

And now, I'm going to crawl into bed and either read or sleep - goodnight!

all i wanna do is prove it to you

I didn't blog yesterday because I had nothing of note to report - a committee meeting (at which I successfully pulled the plug on something I didn't want to do), some writing, and some making of dinner (burrito bowls). And I finished reading 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone', which was interesting as an exercise in exploring ways to tell stories, but not my favorite mystery ever.

Today, however, was more action-packed - I got up, chatted with [censored], made some coffee, took a shower, and went to Des Moines. My primary goal was to have a follow up with my allergist, but I took advantage of the fact that I was going at a reasonable time of day to have lunch with Aunt Kathy. We met at a seafood place in West Des Moines, and it was great to see her - and I would have said that even if I didn't know that she reads my blog.

After, I went to the allergist, who asked me if I've seen any cats recently (no) or eaten crab (also no), and then told me to come back in six months. More to the point, I'm through with the main series of shots and am entering maintenance mode, so he wanted to see how I'm feeling - and overall it's been great. I'm not using eye drops for my allergies, and he thinks I could stop taking claritin, but I've been taking it out of habit. My ragweed season this year was way better than tree season last spring, so I'm hopeful that tree season this year will be much improved. Of course, tree season could start any day given how warm it's been, but we'll see.

Then I grabbed some stuff that I didn't precisely need from World Market (indoor pots to replant some stuff), got some groceries from Whole Foods, came home, chatted with Adit, and ate leftover burrito bowls with [censored]. And now I need to get ready to go to bed - goodnight!

global concepts

I have nothing to report today - I got some writing done this morning, did various tings this afternoon, cleaned the kitchen, took a walk to pay my gas bill, and made dinner (a sheet pan meal with roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, red onions, chicken breast, and a nice maple/dijon vinaigrette sauce). I also talked to my friend Joann (of spinster honeymoon / friendship renewal fame). And I welcome [censored] back to southern Iowa, but I doubt I'll convince him to eat the squash leftovers tomorrow.

And now, I need to go to bed - goodnight!

in all the time i've known you i still don't know what you mean

I had a very lowkey day today - I somehow woke up tired, and I stayed tired, and I also didn't caffeinate enough. I did clean up the kitchen and write a little bit, and I did three loads of laundry, and I finally unpacked my suitcase from my trip - so it wasn't all a waste. But I certainly didn't feel #inittowinit from a productivity standpoint.

Eventually, though, I went out to my parents' house for dinner - I was going to have leftover curry, but my dad was testing his new rotisserie, so I took them up on the offer of supper. His first attempt with beef roast was quite tasty, and Mom roasted some nice potatoes / broccoli / carrots to go with it, and so I was well-rewarded for the effort of driving out there (and by that I mean it was zero effort, although I probably added some dust to my car).

Then I came home, messed around online, and took care of one important life task that I needed to get done (health insurance, since I'm about to lose cobra). It's hard to believe I've been gone from my job for eighteen months - and in previous stints, I went back to the same company after 2yr 3mo and 2yr 4mo respectively. So if I keep that trend up I should be back by the end of the year...but I really don't intend for that to happen.

But I'm glad that I finished the long process of looking at subpar insurance plans and choosing the least bad option, so at least I know I'll be covered when my cobra expires. And now, I need to go to bed - goodnight!

I watched the mighty skyline fall

I had a lovely day, all in all - I made coffee (on the second attempt), said hi to [censored], and wrote for just a bit before showering and making lunch. Hannah came over, since she has Mondays off, and I made coconut chicken curry from the Burma Superstar cookbook since she's one of the few people here who I know I can subject to such things.

Hannah brought stuff to make sushi rolls, so she made some while the curry finished cooking. The curry turned out well, if I do say so myself - it could have used some more time for the flavors to meld, but otherwise it was quite tasty. And [censored] ate lunch with us, albeit leftovers dug from the depths of the fridge since curry isn't [censored]'s jam.

Hannah hung out for a few hours after lunch, so we caught up on many topics before she headed out. [Censored] left shortly thereafter, and I chilled for a bit before taking out my trash and then writing for an hour to make up for limited production earlier.

Then I watched the Iowa State basketball game - they gave a valiant effort against Houston, but it wasn't meant to be. And then I did what I should have done instead of watching the game - I read part of a mystery for the past couple of hours. I'm tempted to keep going, but I should probably sleep instead - so we'll see whether I turn out my light or pick up my ereader after I post this. Goodnight!

every time the bass bangs, realize it calls your name

I was more productive than I perhaps even wanted to be today. When I got up, I made some coffee, buckled down, and wrote for a few hours. I probably should have kept going, but eventually I got hungry, and that stalled any creativity for the day. However, lunch was tasty - I procured some tamales from a random tamale seller yesterday, who met me on the town square and handed me a packet of tamales wrapped in foil. It felt a little like a drug deal, but I'm not going to judge - and the tamales were excellent. I ate a couple yesterday and a couple today and froze the rest, so I'm excited for tamales to appear again in my future.

Anyway, after I ate and caught up on what was happening on the internet (spoiler: nothing), I spent the afternoon cleaning the basement. [censored] and I had both idly considered that it would be a good idea to mop before starting to spread everything back out after the HVAC project, but mopping an entire basement also feels like a bad idea in the moment, so we had never done it. But today was the day. [censored] very kindly swept dirt and moved tings around, and also helped me get water in a place where we don't have easy access to water. And I mopped basically the entire basement, with the exception of where some shelves were that we couldn't move + the weird prison bathroom. So now the basement, and even the garage, smell v. fresh and PineSol-y, and we can go back to using the basement as intended.

When we were done with that, I went ahead and mopped the kitchen too since I was going to be washing mop heads anyway. Then I took a shower before making dinner - a creamy chicken and mushroom dish with mashed potatoes. I overcooked the chicken breasts in a rookie move, but the sauce was excellent and my mashed potatoes are almost always great. And [censored] and I enjoyed it while watching a bunch of skits from the last few weeks of SNL, which was a nice way to close out the night.

And now I need to go to bed since I have plans tomorrow - goodnight!

did i wait too long to turn the lights back on?

I once again accidentally slept until ten, which is a feat that I hope I will not repeat tomorrow. So, I didn't write as much this morning as I intended - after I made coffee and got some yogurt, I only had a couple of hours before I had to shower, eat lunch, and go into town to get my allergy shots.

The allergy shots were fine, albeit painful; since I was gone for three weeks, I didn't get the next dose as soon as I usually do, and so my arms blew up. It wasn't enough to cause concern for the nurse, but it's been uncomfortable for the rest of the day. Then I ran some other errands, went to the grocery store, came home, and took care of some pressing tings that needed to get done and that I've been putting off.

Eventually, I made a repeat of last night's dinner - I made fresh rice and fresh roasted broccoli, and [censored] and I reheated leftover salmon. I was a little late starting the rice, so we didn't eat until 7:15. But then we watched the new Taylor Tomlinson special, which was quite funny. And we watched a bunch of videos of Billy Joel, who just released his first new song in decades - and the music video uses AI so that younger versions of himself perform various parts of the song, which is a little trippy and far too realistic for comfort.

And now, I need to force myself to go to sleep so that I can get back on midwestern time - wish me luck with that. Goodnight!

talk to myself for hours, say things you don't understand

I am not at all tired, thanks to jetlag, but I should probably go to bed and start adjusting. I didn't get up until almost ten this morning, which is potentially my natural preference, but doesn't really lead to getting as much done as I want to.

Anyway, today I got up, made some coffee, talked to [censored], took a shower, ate some leftover tofu stirfry, and went into town for a board meeting. I had a different board meeting and a secret society meeting last night, so I think I'm loaded up on all possible gossip for the week (gossip is not the point of these meetings, but it's an expected outcome).

After the board meeting, I came home, messed around with my plants and other house stuff, ate some yogurt, talked to my friend Durand, and did some other minor tasks. Then I made dinner (salmon teriyaki with jasmine rice and roasted broccoli, yum), and while tings were cooking, [censored] and I watched Jon Stewart's return to The Daily Show, which was both hilarious and thought-provoking (his guest was the editor of The Economist, which is a much different type of guest than most late-night shows). We also watched a bunch of the Super Bowl commercials that I couldn't hear at the party I went to, as well as some other pop culture clips, and it was all pretty entertaining.

Eventually, I came upstairs, did a wee bit of writing, bought a web domain (as one does), and took care of a bit of other stuff. And now I need to sleep so that I can be a bit more productive tomorrow - goodnight!

i fought the current running just the way you would

I am back home after almost three weeks away - and as usual, [censored] left the place better than he found it, while I have no improvements to show for my time away. I guess I did procure a Starbucks mug and some candles, which is pretty on brand. And I went to Costco and Whole Foods this morning before driving home, so cooking will happen again imminently.

Today was uneventful, although I was pretty unhappy that the hotel was doing construction on the room directly across from mine starting at 8am, which was not how I wanted my morning to start. But I was able to grab a v. large cold brew from Starbucks and then run my errands, including a much-needed car wash, so I'm glad I stayed in the city last night.

By the time I got home, it was around three, and I diligently unloaded the car, put tings in the fridge, and unpacked enough to do a load of laundry. I also took a nap to compensate for the construction noise this morning. And I talked to my parents on the phone - theoretically I could have gone to their house to see them, but I was looking forward to being in my house, so I stayed here instead.

Eventually, I made dinner - brown rice in my rice cooker + a tofu stirfry with peppers, onions, and green beans. It's really simple and delicious, and after several weeks of utter and complete decadence, it's time to reset. And then I took care of some small tings online while avoiding making a list of all the big tings I have to do in the next couple of weeks - but Future Sara can figure that out. Goodnight!

in another life i would be your girl

Today was entirely uneventful, and I have successfully returned to ye olde Iowa. I spent some quality time with Lauren and Nathan this morning before heading to the airport, but I was still almost three hours early for my flight since I had nothing better to do. I used that time to have a leisurely lunch and do some work, so it was kinda nice to start to decompress.

Then I flew to Denver, sat in Denver for almost three hours, flew to Des Moines, got my luggage and my car, and checked into a hotel near the airport since I knew I'd be too tired to drive for an hour and a half at midnight. But I'm all settled in and ready to go to sleep so that I can get back to #smalltownlife tomorrow - goodnight!

in the club looking so conspicuous

I'm wrapping up my trip to the city of sin, and today was a nice finale. I checked out of my hotel this morning and met Kristen for brunch in San Mateo - I went to her baby shower yesterday (was it only yesterday?) but I knew we wouldn't actually get to catch up, so I'm glad we had some solo time together.

Then I grabbed a coffee to keep me awake and drove to Pescadero. When I arrived, I rendezvoused with Lauren (aka Subz), who gave me a tour of their amazing renovation before we went back into town for some coffee and catch up time. Then, we went to a super bowl party at her friend's house - Erin and Sean were a delight, and I had enough rosé and tequila to float my boat, so that was pretty great. I was cheering for the Niners, so the last minutes were brutal, but it was a fun party and I loved seeing Subz in her Pescadero element.

And now I need to sleep so I can get back to ye olde Iowa tomorrow -goodnight!

but i might let you try it off the hennessy

Happy lunar new year! I had a delightful day as my trip to the city of sin comes to a close - and I'm getting ready for it to be over, mostly because I can't keep eating this much amazing food and still fit into my pants.

I got a million hours of sleep last night, which was v. helpful. Then I got up, did some stretching, and showered - I wasn't totally ready to get out into the world, so I was a few minutes late to pick up Chandlord, but I think she forgave me. We went to Sweet Maple for breakfast/brunch - it's one of my old haunts in the Fillmore, and my omelette was excellent (after I sent back the first accident, in which they gave me the asparagus omelette instead of the avocado omelette, which was a real tragedy). I fortunately only ate the omelette and piece of gluten free toast and skipped all the potatoes, which is unusual for me, or else I couldn't have survived my next excursion. Chandlord was also good, and we continued to catch up while walking around Fillmore for a bit and looking at $700 shirts by accident, as one does in San Francisco.

Then I dropped her off at home, went to Ocean Beach, and picked up Veronica so we could head to the glorious south bay. Barbara hosted a baby shower for her daughter Kristen, and since I know both of them v. well, this was one reason why I decided to come to SF this week. The shower was lovely - no stupid baby games, only catered tacos and some excellent desserts. I fortunately only had one taco (even though I wanted two) and a small rice krispie treat, or else I couldn't have survived my next excursion. We spent a couple of hours catching up with Anne, Grace, and Grace's husband Brian, and it was a really nice way to spend the afternoon.

Then I dropped V off at her house, drove across the city to my hotel, took a vital fifteen-minute power nap, refreshed my face slightly, and took an uber to Alchemist. I had never been there before, but it was right up my alley - the space had a v. steampunk vibe, and the cocktails were excellent. Claudia, Sam, John, and Jess met me there, and we all had a drink before walking around the (very big) block to Rooh for dinner. Rooh is a v. upscale Indian place that I also hadn't been to before, and it amuses me that we went without Chandlord and Adit (who were invited but couldn't come).

It turns out that Rooh was incredible - and we went all in on their biggest tasting menu, which came close to killing all of us. The tasting menu involved getting four starters, four mains, and two desserts, which in retrospect was a lot, but we didn't realize they would give us what felt like full portions of all of that. We started with an incredible jackfruit taco, some v. tasty shrimp, some baby corn that was quite nice, and these pork belly things that were absolutely not anything I ever had in India and were also so big that they could have been a main. Then, we had a slight breather before the mains came - butter chicken, monkfish, paneer pinwheels, and some chickpea/taro thing, all of which were incredible.

Needless to say, this was a lot of food, and we were all dying by the end (and then the desserts were also great - a nice cake that happened to be gluten free, and some ice creams). But I would 100% recommend it and would go again - it was easy for me and Claude's gluten free issues, since most Indian food is gluten free anyway, and the ambience and service were quite good.

Of course, catching up with the family was the best part, and we discussed many tings while stuffing ourselves. Then I came back to my hotel, promptly took a tiny nap, messed around on my phone, and now am going to go to bed. I have to pack tomorrow and relocate, and also probably eat another ten meals, so sleep is of the essence. Goodnight!

baby you're a firework

I had a v nice, somewhat busy day. I got up, showered, and then grabbed a coffee from Philz, which took longer than I wanted it to but was also worth the walk. Then I wrote until one, while also doing a tiny bit of laundry, and that was all great for my mental state.

Eventually, I uber'd to one of my favorite restaurants - Nopalito - for a late lunch with Ki (aka my former big boss, although not the original one from 2009). Because of how I left and the timing of the pandemic, I didn't feel like I got to say bye to most people, so I was glad to see her today. We caught up on a million things, which was good...

... And then I had happy hour (sans food, but with tequila,) at Stoa with my friend Jenni. We had much to catch up on, so we spent a couple of hours there. And then I walked to Beretta, where I had dinner with Katrina - we had even more to catch up on, so we went deep on many and varied tings.

But now I need to go to bed - there are a crazy number of illegal fireworks going off, likely because it's Lunar New Year, but I'm tired enough that I think I'll sleep despite it. Goodnight!

we are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it

I had a v. nice day in the yay area. When I woke up, after slightly too little sleep, I took a shower and then went out in search of paper and coffee. The paper shop was a bust (they had cute stuff, but I'm trying to be more discerning since I have bought more journals than I'll probably use in a decade anyway). But I had some v. tasty and v. cheap huevos rancheros nearby, which made me happy. And I got a large coffee at Philz, which delighted me. I also talked to my mom while I enjoyed my coffee, which was great until the sun went behind a building and I started to freeze. I do not understand how 55 here can feel like 35 in Iowa, but it is what it is.

After I talked to my mom, I walked to Sephora, where I got a couple of trial-size things to replace things I was running out of on my trip. Then I took a v. brief nap before getting my hair cut. My old stylist, who cut my hair from approximately 2010 onward, has a salon that is only a couple of blocks from where I'm staying, and I was way overdue to see her. Our conversation took many dark turns, which was hilarious, and I walked away with a great hair cut, so that was all great.

Then I walked to a parking garage to retrieve my car, and I drove to Alameda to meet up with Claudia (aka Santy Claude, but only in December). We had happy hour at Saltbreaker, where I had an excellent cheeseburger (like, really excellent, and a decent gluten free bun that managed to hold together) and an abhorrent glass of wine (like, really abhorrent, and we probably should have sent it back). But catching up with Claudia was v. wonderful. And then I went over to her house and spent a couple of hours hanging out with her and Téo and Sam - I may have bruised my hand from the enthusiasm with which I used a monster truck launcher with Téo, but it was #worthit.

At some point, I was exhausted and traffic had died down to a v. reasonable 22 minutes to cross the Bay, so I came back to my hotel. I caught up on news for a bit, and then I grabbed a salad (since that burger was a 3:30pm and I felt like maybe I should have something dinnerish) and a glass of wine while writing for a couple of hours.

And now, I need to sleep - I have a lowkey writing morning planned, but then I had a triple happy hour situation happening (well, a late lunch, a happy hour, and a dinner), and I want to bring my A-game to some of my favorite people. Goodnight!

just find a place to make your stand and take it easy

I had an v low-key day in the city of sin, which is what I needed after several days of shenanigans. I got up this morning after plenty of sleep, took a shower, took another shower outside because it was pouring, and bought a cheap umbrella at Walgreens to deal with the rain. Then I grabbed a latte and took it to my beloved nail salon, where the ladies were happy to see me - and I was happy to get a proper manicure and pedicure after months of slumming it on my own.

Then I grabbed another latte to top up my caffeine, and then I had a late lunch at pizzeria delfina. They have one of the best gf pizza crusts around, and their mushroom pizza is particularly delightful.

By then I was done with my outings, so I came back to my hotel, did my laundry, and wrote while sitting on the floor outside the laundry room since getting all my clothes stolen would have been a real downer. I kept writing until around eight, and then I had a late dinner at the new restaurant across the street in what used to be the Meridien. I wrote a bit more while eating steak (gf can be expensive), and I could have easily called it there...

... But I rallied and met Chandlord and one of her coworkers for drinks at PCH. We had a fine time, and my cocktail was delicious (so good I had a second). Chandlord was fun, as always, even if we cannot tell you why we find Malala to be hysterical.

And now, I must sleep - goodnight!

so you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last

I definitely did not feel good when I woke up this morning - last night's decision to embrace gluten was, perhaps, a mistake, even though it tasted fantastic. Of course, I also spent the night in a new-to-me hotel room, and the first night is often rough. So, I'm hopeful that tonight's sleep will be better.

But despite my middle-aged stomach issues, today was lovely. I got up, did some stretching, showered, etc., and drove down to Palo Alto to have lunch with Shedletsky and his wife and their younger child. I was essentially crashing a birthday celebration, since they had planned to have lunch before I told them I was coming to SF - but they added me to the reservation, and it was a delight to see them. We went to Nobu, which moved into Palo Alto sometime after I stopped spending time in the area - and twenty years ago, I never would have guessed that such an absurdly fancy place would go in next to the Peninsula Creamery. But the food was tasty, and the company was delightful, and so it was a nice way to spend a few hours near my old haunts.

After lunch, I went to three Starbucks looking for the new Stanford Starbucks mug that Anne had told me about, and I was unsuccessful. At the third Starbucks (my old haunt on Stanford Ave), I gave up the search temporarily, got a venti cold brew, and wrote for a couple of hours. Then I tried another Starbucks on El Camino, where I finally found the mug. Thus victorious, I went back to California Ave to Imperial Treasure, which is a new Chinese restaurant near the Caltrain station. California Ave has also upgraded itself substantially in the past couple of decades, which I have mixed feelings about.

But Imperial Treasure is a welcome addition. The friendship renewal crew met there for dinner, and Jane preordered a Peking duck for us, which they brought out basically as soon as Joann and I arrived (and a few minutes before Jane and Jen did). The duck was v. tasty, even though I avoided the gluten pancake that it's traditionally wrapped in. We also had some eggplant, some pea shoots, a scallop dish that was surprisingly heavy on garlic, and some soup that they made for us out of the duck carcass, and it was all pretty tasty. We also caught up with each other, of course, which was the real treasure.

Then I drove back to the city of sin and may have gone out tonight, but was feeling far too tired to rally. So I came back to my room around 9:15, crawled into my pajamas, and unwound for awhile. And now, it's time for bed so that I can do more fun tings tomorrow - goodnight!

the calliope crashed to the ground

I'm in the city of sin after a surprisingly easy day of travel. I spent the morning with Ritu and family - her daughters continue to be lovely, and I got to see one off at the bus stop before the other accompanied me to the airport. Ritu also found me while she was only wearing a towel to tell me that King Charles has cancer, which is how I think all such news should be delivered.

Anyway, Ritu took me to the airport, where we said our sad farewells. I got through security in time to grab lunch and an iced coffee before boarding, so the timing was right. The flight was pretty turbulence-free and I wasn't delayed, which was a vast improvement over all the flights that were cancelled yesterday, so I felt lucky.

When I got to SFO, I picked up my bag, picked up a rental car, and drove to my hotel, where I settled in for a bit. Then I met Adit and Chandlord for a late dinner - we went to a place that replaced Locanda, which was my old favorite Italian place. Locanda may have been better for me because they had gluten free pasta and this place doesn't deign to do that. But I decided to cheat for one night and have their pappardelle with bolognese - the pasta was really incredible and felt worth it at the time, although I have a headache now, so we'll see.

But despite our reputations, we only had one bottle of wine and were home by eleven, so this feels like a v grown up start to my visit. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

name of the game

I had a lovely day in Seattle - I actually slept okay despite last night's shenanigans, and neither the wine nor the excessive meat consumption treated me too badly this morning. Of course, I am not usually awoken by the dulcet tones of a six year old playing the piano, but I survived.

After coffee, breakfast, some board games, a shower, etc, Ritu and family took me to a bowling alley. The real reason to go was Anika's friend's birthday party, but Ritu, Nyra and I got a separate lane and bowled and ate surprisingly good food. I barely beat the two year old at bowling, but I'll take the victory.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out, cooking, eating, etc ... Ritu made an excellent flourless chocolate cake, and Bill made an excellent soup, and it was all a delight. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

it surely means that I don't know

No blog tonight - I slept poorly last night, then got out of the house around 8:15 to go to the airport with Stephanie. We had time for a leisurely breakfast before boarding, which was v nice. Then I flew to Seattle, grabbed my bag, and was picked up by Ritu for some shenanigans.

Long story short, I played a foxy spy game and some hide and seek with her kids, drank some champagne and St Germain, and generally caught up until the babysitter arrived. Then, Ritu, Bill and I had perfect drinks and bites to eat at Canlis, followed by a ton of steak at Bateau. And now I am desperate for sleep - goodnight!

lay your weary head to rest

I can't believe my retreat is already over - this one was way too fast. I did some excellent brainstorming today, and I got Starbucks twice, and I refrained from buying a sweatshirt like I usually do. I also ate a poke bowl for lunch and came up with a killer playlist for my work in progress, so that was all a delight. It helped that the sun was out for most of the day, unexpectedly, which always boosts my mood.

When it was time for dinner, some of us ordered Thai and some ordered Mexican - I went with the latter even though we had it Tuesday because they had margaritas to go. And then we all sat around and talked until it was time to start winding down (and packing) - my flight isn't egregiously early tomorrow, but I'll have to set an alarm, so wish me luck. Goodnight!

would you believe me now if i told you i got caught up in a wave?

I was not in it to win it today - a storm blew in over the ocean, bringing with it far too many clouds and far too much rain, which literally dampened my mood. I was also thinking of my Uncle Mark today, who passed when I was on this same retreat five years ago, which was inevitably going to be an undercurrent of distraction. And the weather meant I couldn't go out and grab coffee at the point that I wanted it, and the coffee I made with guesswork in the cheap drip coffeepot was too weak (yes, I'm v. bougie and particular about my coffee). So the whole day was doomed to fail, of course.

I did, however, salvage the day - I did a bunch of scribbling of writing ideas, which was fun. I snuck out for a secret lunch with Grace at the place we went last night, mostly because it was both delicious and half a block away; we split calamari, which were excellent, and my caesar salad was nice. Then I did grab a latte since the rain had stopped, which revived me a little - but I still had to take a nap when I realized that there was no real productivity possible without it.

Eventually, we had dinner (an order from Urban Plates, which was delish; my steak and mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts and chimichurri sauce were perfect). And I sat around talking for quite a bit, but I retreated to my room sometime around nine - unusual for me, but v. necessary. And now, I must sleep - goodnight!

midnight blue

Another lovely retreat day - in fact, perhaps the last lovely retreat day, since we're about to get a whole bunch of rain and gale-force winds. But I took advantage of today - I grabbed coffee, wrote all morning, ate leftovers, brainstormed with Barbara in the gazebo, hung out on the beach with Anne, had a dining room drink with Anne and Veronica, and then had dinner with the whole gang (but my table was mostly Barbara, Christie, Rachel, Darcy, and Toni). I perhaps had too much wine, especially since I haven't had more than two glasses all week, but I certainly had fun doing it.

But now I need to sleep so I can write during tomorrow's weather intrigue - goodnight!