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!