just like heaven

I made it back to ye olde Iowa - the drive home from the airport was a little gruesome because it was after midnight, and there was substantial lightning the whole way and heavy rain for the last twenty minutes of it, but I survived. My day in Tucson was v. nice before my travels commenced - I got up early enough to have several cups of coffee on my balcony and do some writing-related work for a couple of hours, and then I packed, showered, checked out, and met Lauren for the brunch buffet. We had a leisurely meal and then sat by the pool for a final session - I didn't bother putting on my swimsuit, but it was a v. chill way to end the weekend.

Then I went to the airport, which was just as easy to navigate as Des Moines is, and so I had plenty of time before my (slightly delayed) flight. My flight from Denver to Des Moines was also slightly delayed due to weather, but everything was mostly smooth. And now I need to sleep and get ready for the week ahead - goodnight!

tree of life

I had an excellent, restorative day in Tucson. I started with a coffee, followed by a v lovely massage. The spa here is excellent, so much so that I was  tempted to rebook my flight and stay a few more days...

But I need to get back to the grind, so that's out. After my massage I grabbed some more caffeine, and then rendezvoused with Lauren for a v tasty lunch. We spent the afternoon by the pool, talking to the other characters... And when it was only us left, we discovered that we could pick up a random phone in the pool area and order room service to the pool. So we got some guac and some piña colada and had a v nice late afternoon catch-up.

Then we got ready and headed into Tucson for some different vibes. We had a drink at a coffee place/bar  I the would go to anytime if I lived in Denver. Then we had dinner at the Coronet, which was perfect. My steak was the best I've had in awhile - it was served "on the forest floor", which was so unique that I'll remember it 

But for now I'm falling asleep writing this, so I'm going to bed - goodnight!

it's a dry heat

I successfully reached my destination today, but it wasn't without its challenges. The first challenge was waking up at 5:15 after five hours of sleep, but I accomplished that mostly successfully. I made it out the door within a few minutes of my stated goal, armed with a large cold brew for the road, and was wide awake for my drive to Des Moines. It was really pretty this morning after several days of rainy weather, and the sunrise was almost enough to make me consider becoming a morning person (but my body has other plans).

So I got to the airport without incident, parked, was the only person in the TSA precheck line, and so had time to grab breakfast and do some work before boarding. This was pretty key, since if I had planned to eat in Denver I would have died. I was supposed to have an hour and twenty minutes for my Denver connection...

But first, my flight to Denver attempted to leave early, and then was held on the runway in Des Moines for twenty minutes by Denver air traffic control. We made up some of that in the air and were going to be just a few minutes late...but then we landed in Denver and there was no gate for us, so we sat on the tarmac for thirty minutes. I got a notice from United that they were boarding my flight as I was getting off the plane, and my departure gate was at least ten minutes walking from my arrival gate (and could have been much worse).

So I sped to the new gate and made it with time to spare - but was forced to gate check my bag, which I found to be a travesty. The second flight was smooth and I did some good sleeping + journaling, but then I had to wait awhile for my bag in Tucson, and I was not thrilled by that.

However, with all those extremely minor complaints out of the way, I can say that the rest of the day was a success. I had a nice Uber driver from the airport to my hotel, and when I got here I promptly rendezvoused with Lauren (aka Subz) for a girls' weekend. Terry was supposed to be here as well and unfortunately had to cancel, but Lauren and I were still down for some broiling in the desert.

Lauren had already been here awhile and eaten lunch, but she hung out with me while I ate lunch (a v. tasty sushi bowl). Then we parted ways to check into our rooms, and I'm delighted by mine - a nice view of the mountains (and a bit of freeway, relatively unobtrusively), and an extremely comfortable bed in which I took a twenty-minute nap. I met Lauren at the pool outside my room, and we had a really lovely couple of hours - it's absurdly hot here (and will be 99 degrees tomorrow) but the pool was great, and some sun after all the springtime rain is nice.

Then we got cleaned up, grabbed an uber downtown, and had tacos at a restaurant owned by one of my favorite former Top Chef contestants. The tacos and salsas were excellent, although I overordered because I thought I was hungrier than I was. Then we walked around briefly but realized we were both crashing (Lauren didn't switch time zones, but she did get up at three), so we came back to the hotel, and I inadvertently napped while catching up on twitter. So now it's time for bed for real - goodnight!

sucker love is heaven sent

Happy birthday to [censored]! Sadly I don't have time to regale you with facts about [censored], partially because [censored] doesn't want me to share facts, and partially because I need to get up super early to catch a flight. 

But today was good - I got up, baked a lemon cake for the birthday celebration, and then slogged all day with few breaks. But someone was late to a meeting and I used it to put cheesy potatoes in the crock pot, and I was able to get the ham balls in the oven on time. So, by the time [censored] got home and the parents came over, we had a mini feast.

But then I had to scramble to pack, and hopefully I didn't forget anything, but we'll find out tomorrow. Goodnight!

baia do sancho

Today was entirely too busy, but also lovely. I got up this morning and did a bunch of work, and then I took a break for lunch with my mom. We met up with a woman (Ann) who works in tourism for the state of Iowa; my mom worked with her many years ago when my mom did some tourism stuff, but probably hadn't seen her in twenty-five years. I connected with Ann at a conference I attended last year and she guessed who I might be related to based on my last name, which was pretty funny.

So, Ann was in the area for a meeting, and she reached out a few weeks ago to see if we wanted to have lunch. We met up to eat salads at Outlaw, and we also toured a bunch of the murals. We showed her around the ones in the main town, drove up to Millerton to look at one of my favorite murals, and then came back to my town to see the five murals here. At that point, I needed to get back to work, but my mom took Ann out to the Round Barn, so I would say Ann got her money's worth with the grand tour.

After I got home, I slogged pretty aggressively until sixish. Then I ran to town to get some groceries, came home, did the second of three loads of laundry, ate some leftovers, and had a work meeting with a guy in Japan whom I hadn't met yet. Then I did more laundry, painted my toenails, did some other personal tasks, and worked for the last couple of hours to get ahead of some stuff, since I'll be offline all weekend.

And now, I need to sleep and hopefully recharge before morning - goodnight!

under the table and dreaming

Today was not particularly interesting for you - I slept, I woke up, I showered, I poured some cold brew, and I worked. I find much less to dread about this job than I did in my last job, so that's a real positive - but my body is still not quite used to having a job at all, and so I found myself in desperate need of a nap at four (which I took). Then I ran to the grocery store, came home, threw some rice in the rice cooker to go with the chicken taco meat I was making all afternoon in the crock pot, and worked for another hour.

Eventually, it was time to take a break / eat - so I closed the laptop, went downstairs, heated up some refried beans, and shredded the chicken breasts. The rice was a new-to-me recipe for making Spanish rice in the rice cooker - it probably would have been better the old-fashioned way (toasting the rice in oil before letting it simmer), but this method was easy and foolproof, which is a real bonus.

So, [censored] and I ate tacos (well, tacos for him, taco bowl for me) and watched various tings on tv. Then I came upstairs and worked for another hour and a half or so. This is not as onerous as it sounds, but I'm trying to go to bed earlier so that I can get up earlier and either get work done so that I don't have to work at night, or get writing done so that I can stop feeling guilty about not writing. Either way, it's time for bed - goodnight!

integrity, faith and crocodile tears

Today was a supremely Mondayish day - I had a bunch of meetings, and it rained pretty steadily (and sometimes quite briskly) all afternoon. But all in all the meetings were good, and I stopped around six to relax a bit before dinner. Dinner was quite easy, since I made fresh spaghetti to go with some spaghetti sauce that had been languishing in the freezer. And then [censored] and I were both saying we should go to bed early, but instead explored the ramifications of remodeling my bathroom (spoiler: it will be a huge pain, as remodels are, but probably worth it).

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

let's lay in the dead grass, stare at the stars

I'm quite tired - I wouldn't go so far as to say that I did too much manual labor, but I certainly feel like I did enough. I woke up earlier than I wanted to this morning and lazed in bed for awhile, and then I went downstairs, poured some cold brew, and talked to [censored] for awhile. [Censored] is embarking upon a [censored] project, which may result in making some changes to network names for the wifi, and I had a v. entertaining time brainstorming new network names with [censored].

At some point, I knew I needed to get with it, so I took a shower and seized the afternoon. I helped [censored] pick up sticks after [censored] hauled away a big tree limb that I lost in a storm a coupleo f weeks ago - I do not particularly enjoy picking up sticks, but we made good progress. Then I repotted another indoor plant and also planted most of what I bought at the greenhouse yesterday - so now I have 8+ containers of stuff, with the potential for more on the way.

At some point, I took a break to run out to Mom and Dad's and wish Mom a happy mother's day. We chatted for awhile, which was nice, and felt like our usual Sunday calls in person instead of on the phone. Then I came home, put on pants instead of shorts, and ran into town to pick up a couple of groceries + takeout from the Mexican place. [Censored] and I enjoyed it at the bar in my kitchen, and then we watched a bit of last night's SNL. And now, I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

the cloud is moving nearer still, aurora borealis comes in view

I had a lovely Saturday all in all, despite not crossing much off my to do list. I slept in, took a quick shower, and picked up my mom so we could go to a greenhouse. On the way, we stopped to see the Humeston mural from last year's festival, since Mom hadn't seen it installed. And we went to the general store across the street - I always forget how much they have stocked, and I found some good stuff for my kitchen.

Then, we proceeded to the greenhouse. One of the employees said this is their busiest two days of the year, and it was certainly busy, but we were able to navigate just fine. I'm still not planning to plant much this year because I have several yard projects (build fence, put in water hydrants, possibly redo the deck) that will potentially alter where I should plant stuff. But I got flowers and herbs for containers, so at least I can spiffy up my balcony and some other key areas.

Eventually, we came home and I dropped Mom off before coming to my house, eating a sandwich, and collapsing. I chilled for a little too long, but eventually I got into my shed and pulled out my gardening containers, got out dirt and various gardening tools, etc. But rather than plant the stuff I bought, I repotted several houseplants that were long overdue for fresh pots and soil. Hopefully I didn't kill any of them, but we shall see.

Then [censored] and I went out to Mom and Dad's, where Dad grilled some truly excellent burgers and Mom made some equally excellent fried potatoes and baked beans. I assume Dad's bratwurst was also excellent, but I was so full from the rest of it that I had to save my brat for tomorrow.

And now, after a v low-key evening, it's time for bed - goodnight!

if you've got an impulse let it out

I'm in Kansas City, which is unusual for me - but the trip was worth it. I got up and worked all morning, but I crossed off all the tasks that I needed to get done, so yay for me. Then I hurriedly ate some leftover chili, packed, and [censored] and I got on the road by two.

There was v. little traffic on the way here, and we reached the hotel a bit before five. Our room had a bit of a weird beeping noise, but we called the front desk about it and then went downstairs to eat in the bar; by the time we got back, someone had been in the room and the beeping noise was gone, which was a real plus since we didn't have to switch rooms. This is the same hotel I stayed in with Caroline last summer, and I quite like it - it has a v. nice 1920s vibe, and my steak and glass of wine were tasty (and the fries were even better).

Then, [censored] and I both changed and walked to the concert. It took all of five minutes to walk from our hotel to the T-Mobile Center, which meant that it was closer to walk to the concert here than it was to walk from our cars to the festival that we went to on Saturday. It was also about thirty degrees warmer, which was a real plus, and I maintained a pleasant body temperature through the whole performance.

We got to the venue early enough to watch the opener (Slow Pulp), and then the main show started. It was a dual header of Death Cab and Postal Service (which, iykyk, have the same frontman), and they played their 2004 albums (Transatlanticism and Give Up) from start to finish. The Death Cab album is gorgeous but can be melancholy, so it's good they started with that; Give Up is more dance-y and upbeat, even if the lyrics are still moderately depressing. All in all, the show was gorgeous - and v. v. nostalgic, since those albums were on heavy rotation my first year out of college, when I was young and everything was still ahead.

And now, after a v. easy walk back to the hotel and some unwinding, it's time for bed - goodnight!

where is my mind

I had a v. low-key day, all in all - several meetings, but they all went fine. I took a couple of them while sitting on my balcony, enjoying the sun and the vague scent of manure from some nearby farming activity. I probably could have done without the manure smell, but if I can take some meetings from my balcony all summer, I'll be a pretty happy camper.

Eventually, I wrapped tings up and ran into town for a library board meeting, which was fun. Then I came home, took care of a million personal tasks, made some chili for dinner so that I would have leftovers tomorrow, and painted my nails in anticipation of wanting to look a little more chic tomorrow. As I was wrapping that up, [censored] came home, and we listened to some entertaining podcasts and chatted about various things until now.

And now, I should either do a bit of day job stuff or go to bed - goodnight!

every claim you stake

I definitely got in it grind today, even though I didn't want to - my weather radio woke me up a couple of times last night, but I went back to sleep because severe thunderstorms aren't enough to faze me. But still, my sleep wasn't exactly sufficient. So I powered myself up with coffee and a shower and got ready for the slog ahead.

Not that the slog was bad - it's nice to feel like I'm starting to understand some things. And I took a walk at lunch, and I also sat on my balcony with a glass of wine and my journal (and a convo with my mom) for a couple of hours. Then I ate some leftover steak with a fresh potato, did some laundry, and worked for a couple more hours. For some reason I'm much happier working from 9-11pm than I am from 9-11am, so I bring this upon myself.

But now I need to sleep- goodnight!

so i crossed my thoughtless heart, spread my wings like a parachute

Sorry for the lack of blog the last two(ish) days. Saturday was really a ton of fun, but it was a little brutal being cold for ten+ hours. It was even more brutal because I didn't know a single song (other than when they played The Pixies on the speakers during a set change), and so couldn't even warm myself up by singing. But despite not being a country music fan, I enjoyed the music - there were some really excellent bands there, and there are worse ways to spend a Saturday than sitting in a lawn chair and listening to live music.

sssanyway, after all that excitement + the massive extrovert rush of a week at a work event in San Francisco, I hit the wall hard yesterday and got almost nothing done. Luckily, I came back a bit today - I worked all day and felt reasonably productive, which is a good thing since Mondays are meeting-heavy. I wrapped up just as [censored] was about to leave, and he dropped me off in town to pick up my car, which I got detailed since the gravel dust around here is impossible to keep off my fancy Audi interior.

Then I came home, took one more meeting, and then took out my trash, messed around with some stuff, and ate dinner. Then I spent the last couple of hours quite happily sipping a glass of wine while setting up a new journal. I had convinced myself several years ago that bullet journals (especially aesthetically pleasing bullet journals, with washi tape and stickers and markers) aren't worth the time spent setting them up. But I was frankly missing the aesthetics, and with a new day job I have to get on top of what I'm doing. So we'll see how the new journal goes - but if nothing else, I have more washi tape than anyone can use in a decade, so playing with some of it seems like a worthwhile usage.

And now, I need to go to bed so that I can be #inittowinit tomorrow - goodnight!

every day i'm workin' on the illinois river get a half a day off with pay

I had a very cold, very entertaining day - I have never been to a country music festival before, but there's a first time for everything. Unfortunately, it was about twenty degrees colder than I would have liked it to be, and also quite muddy. And the wind didn't help ...

... But I'm getting ahead of myself. I got a ton of sleep last night, which helped me survive today. Then I showered and took care of some tings before meeting [censored], Drewbaby, and Sammie in Indianola for lunch. The f...

.... And this was longer but I deleted half of it while falling asleep and I can't write it again. Suffice it to say I'm home and bundled up and going to bed - goodnight!

might be over now, but i feel it still

I had a v. v. long day - I woke up at four to get ready and head to the airport, which I timed just right to check a bag (full of swag that I acquired on this trip) and grab an iced coffee before boarding. I happened to be sitting next to someone from my old life, who is working in the Boulder office - but we had zero to say to each other, so we said hi, avoided eye contact, and studiously read until landing in Denver.

When I got to Denver, I had a three hour layover and felt pretty queasy from the turbulence over the Rockies. I didn't know whether champagne or ginger ale would cure me, so I had both while sitting at a wine bar and working for a couple of hours. Sadly, while I was sitting there, my flight was delayed for an additional two hours. So I had a long chat with Adit about some work stuff, hung up with him, looked at my phone - and discovered that my flight had been undelayed and was going to board in eight minutes.

While I'm glad I wasn't delayed, this caused more frenetic movement than I had planned to have during a three-hour layover. I grabbed a burrito bowl to go, dashed to my gate and got there just as they were boarding my group, and then sat in my airplane seat and scarfed down my food like a monster while boarding finished. I hate taking smelly food on planes, but not as much as I hate fainting from hunger, so #priorities.

The flight was on time and uneventful, and I slept a bit. When I got to Des Moines, I retrieved my bag, drove home, said hi to [censored] as [censored] was departing, and then met my parents for dinner. And now I desperately need to sleep since I have unusually social plans tomorrow and I'm not at all prepared (physically or mentally) for them. Goodnight!

we were both young when i first saw you

No blog tonight - nothing interesting happened today, although I feel like I barely made it through since I'm so tired and slightly sore/sunburned/hoarse from yesterday's shenanigans. But I'm all packed up and ready to go back to ye olde Iowa, and going to bed now would enable me to get six hours of sleep before catching my early flight. Goodnight!

with arms wide open under the sunlight

I'm v. v. exhausted - even my extroversion has hit the slightest bit of a wall. But I guess that's to be expected, since I have been at work events for twelve hours straight today (on top of all of yesterday). However, today's events were all play and no work, and they were mostly in the sun, so I don't think I'm going to complain.

I started the day with some work + leftover pizza + shopping around Fillmore, and then I caught an uber over to Golden Gate Park. We had a three-hour pickleball tournament, which was approximately two hours and forty minutes longer than I actually wanted to play pickleball. But it was a v. fun time overall - I can see the appeal of the game, and even though my team lost badly, I would be open to playing again. But it got infinitely better when I could stop playing and just sit in the sun while drinking sauvignon blanc, which is what I did...

Then, when it was over, I came back to my hotel with a coworker and let her use my shower so that we could both freshen up before dinner. Since we had some time, we bought some stationery at Maido (my beloved Japantown haunt) and then grabbed a few oysters and some rosé at Little Shucker. This tided us over nicely for the thirty minutes before dinner - the whole team gathered at Copra, which is an Indian restaurant that replaced Dosa (also an Indian restaurant). The food was excellent, as was the conversation, and as was the chai. I probably could have ended there...

...but of course we ended up at Festa and did several hours of karaoke. The big boss expensed all the drinks and song requests, which was kind. I must say that it's v. v. strange to sing Nickelback's "Photograph" with Adit while at a corporate event, but I think we got the crowd amped, which is all that mattered. It was pretty clear pretty fast that approximately four of us knew the Oasis/Creed/Red Hot Chili Peppers era of music, but overall it was quite a fun evening.

And now, I need to sleep so that I can get to the office and perhaps start doing real work again - goodnight!

stop coming back to you

I had an excellent day in the city of sin - it was v long and I was under caffeinated, but the event that I'm at went well and a bunch of us hung out after. But I've been falling asleep for an hour while trying to write this, so I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!