like so much deja vu

I had today off, which was a nice interlude in the middle of the week. It was rainy off and on most of the day - nothing particularly impressive, but certainly much-needed. I slept in, and then I spent most of the day doing various household chores that I never seem to want to do on the weekend. This mostly meant fully cleaning my bedroom / office, doing a bit of work stuff, going to the grocery store, etc.

Since my weekend plans are currently up in the air, I invited my parents over for dinner tonight to ensure that I would get to see them in case I'm not around. I made shrimp alfredo, which my dad really likes, and it's pretty easy for me to throw together since I usually have frozen shrimp in the freezer. We had a nice chat over dinner, and they stayed long enough to see [censored], so that was all a delight.

After they left, I cleaned up the kitchen, talked to [censored] for a bit, and then came upstairs to fold laundry, mess around online, and do a couple of work tasks. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

all you talk is money, money

I had a pretty good day, although the timing of it was odd - I got up much earlier than I usually do so that I could go to a 7am meeting of the Optimists Club. I was there to hit them up for money on behalf of the library board, and I think it went well - but I also got my second invitation to join them, and I feel like the third invitation invokes some required bond, so I maybe should avoid their meetings for awhile.

After the meeting, I finished my coffee (at the bowling alley, which is not a usual 7am gathering spot most places) while talking to Mark, whom I hadn't seen in quite some time. Then I came home and got into work mode (although I did take a quick shower at some point, since I didn't have time to shower before the meeting). I slogged through most of the day and into the early evening, and I did a lot of the slogging from my balcony even though it was far too hot to be outside and my fitness tracker indicated that I was 'stressed' because of it.

At some point it was time to call it a day, so I filled a bunch of water jugs and went downtown (if you can call it that) to water the planters. Then I came home, ate some supper, sat on the balcony and journaled until I couldn't see, and then started reading a book (NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, which I'm enjoying quite a lot). And now I need to go to bed - I have tomorrow off for Juneteenth, and I think I'm going to take it easy. Goodnight!

tangerine come on back to me

It was a million degrees today, and I spent most of it inside slogging. However, I had to emerge from the safety of my air conditioning to take out my trash and water the planters in town. This required filling sixteen milk jugs with water and then dumping two gallons each into the various planters on Central Ave. The errand was about as efficient as I could make it, but it still felt too hot at 7pm to do it.

However, then I came home and ate a sandwich and wrote on my balcony - it was also too hot on my balcony, but it was shaded and there was a breeze, so it could have been worse. And now I need to go to bed since I have many tings to do tomorrow - goodnight!

she drives me crazy

Happy Father's Day! I did not do that much today, but I certainly did more than yesterday. I did a couple of loads of laundry, cleaned my new fridge with baking soda to get any residual plastic smell out, tidied up various tings, etc. I also wrote for three-ish hours, which I will definitely take. And my mom and I watered a bunch of flower planters in town - now that I'm part of Garden Club I have to water sometimes during the summer, and mom and I signed up for this week together. Of course it's going to be like a hundred degrees all week, which makes watering both necessary and annoying, but it feels good to do something for the town.

In the evening, [censored] and I went out to Mom and Dad's house for dinner. Dad grilled v. tasty hamburgers, and Mom made baked beans, and we also had salad and potato salad and fresh watermelon. It was a nice way to end the weekend - although since we usually eat there on Saturday, I am now slightly confused about why I have to work tomorrow.

But that's a problem for future Sara (in about ten hours) - goodnight!

fine young cannibals

I had a v lazy day today, which was not my intention - but it was gloomy for part of the day, and that often has a high chance of wrecking my focus. However, I did make chili for dinner at [censored]'s request, and we watched some fine comedic programming before I came upstairs and wrote in bed for awhile. 

And now, I'm going to go to bed and hope to carry this late night momentum forward to morning - goodnight!

making it spin or else you win

Things have been pretty dull around here - not that working is any less dull than my writing life, but there are days when I don't feel like blogging because nothing happened.

And then there are days like yesterday where I don't feel like blogging because a lot happened and I needed to go to bed. Yesterday was jam packed - I had a bunch of work, and then I had a library board meeting, just barely enough time for supper, and a PEO meeting. Today wasn't quite as hectic, but I had to go to the dentist, which required driving thirty miles to the next town over. Luckily the dentist was fine, and I was able to grab a couple of things I needed at Walmart before heading home and slogging.

I slogged off and on pretty late since I wasn't around in the morning - but I did take a break to journal on my balcony. And now, I think I shall go to bed, since I have a similar combo of errands + slogging tomorrow. Goodnight!

whether you're rin tin tin or anne boleyn

Today was a pretty good day, all in all. I got up early ish since I had a delivery coming this morning, and it's a good thing I did because they got here fifteen minutes before their two hour window. I treated myself to a new standing freezer and also a new fridge for the garage - the freezer felt v necessary since I need to stock up on food differently with a job, and the fridge was a splurge so we can have more room for drinks and leftovers. Costco had some good Memorial Day sales and also inexplicably offered free delivery despite me living eighty miles from the nearest store, so that all worked out. 

After the delivery, I chatted with [censored] for awhile, and then I slogged all day. It was pretty nice as slogs go - I talked to Adit for a couple of hours, and I also spent the entire day working from my balcony. Eventually I threw in the towel and made pad Thai for dinner, which was delish. And now I need to unwind and go to bed - goodnight!

i'm almost me again, she's almost you

I really did not want to do literally anything that I did today, but I somehow managed to drag myself through most of my task list. I cleaned my bathroom this morning, which I was overdue for. I did three loads of laundry. I planted the last things that I hadn't planted, and we'll see if they perk up since I should have planted them two weeks ago.

I also did a lot of cleaning in the garage - I'm getting a new garage freezer and fridge delivered this week, which required moving a bunch of stuff. Much of the stuff in the garage was sitting there because I hadn't taken it to the basement because of the HVAC project, and then I never bothered because I was lazy and didn't need the space. But it all looks much better, so I'm glad I got it done even though it was a slog.

And now, I'm going to try to go to bed early (for real!) - goodnight!

you're too sweet for me

I've been falling asleep while trying to write this, so I'm going to keep it brief. Yesterday I indulged my vanity by taking a v. quick, v. early trip to Des Moines to get my haircut, and then I came home and slogged for the rest of the day. Today, [censored] and I dropped my old stove off to donate it to the local secondhand store (it has only been sitting in my garage for eighteen months!), and then my mom and I went to the cemeteries to pick up the decorations she'd put out for Memorial Day.

We ended our cemetery tour with some soft-serve ice cream in Seymour, which was a nice treat. Then I came home and spent the afternoon doing various tings around the house. [Censored] went above and beyond and installed a new thermostat for my upstairs hvac zone, which was the final icing on the cake of that project. I cleaned up some stuff in the garage in preparation for a delivery I have coming this week. And eventually [censored] and I picked up Mexican food and took it out to the parents' house, where we had a nice time talking about various tings we've learned from recent D-Day coverage.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

corn

I had a decent day, all in all; I didn't sleep particularly well last night due to the neighbor dogs early on, but I wasn't really worse for wear because of it. I had some meetings off and on, and I also got some work done - nothing particularly exciting, but better than sometimes, so I guess I'll take it.

By 5:30 I was feeling done, so I thought about taking a nap and instead sat on my balcony and journaled for awhile. Then I made burrito bowls because I am a good sister and [censored] deserves some joy in life. We watched some country music videos while eating, and then [censored] rewarded my patience by showing me John Oliver's segment on the corn industry, which is well worth watching. His pieces are comedic, but they're incredibly deeply researched and include clips from decades of past reporting on corn and Big Ag. I thought it was pretty nuanced. If I could make that kind of piece regularly, I would quit my job and do it - but given how long it's taking me to write a book, making a weekly twenty-minute heavily research video seems out of my comfort zone.

And now, I need to sleep since I have an errand to run early tomorrow - goodnight!

we took a little bacon and we took a little beans

I had a pretty decent day, but it was a bit discombobulated because I had to get up early for an 8am doctor's appointment. This was the second day in a row that I had to leave the house early, which was a real indignity; yesterday, I had to go into town by 9:30 to meet with some of the economic development board to discuss the budget. Today's doctor's appointment was pretty quick, so I was home by nine, and then I had to convince myself to focus on work.

Luckily I was vaguely interested in the stuff I had to do today (and one of those things was talking to Adit for an hour, which is always a delight). I did take an illicit nap for twenty minutes to make up for getting up early, which helped. And I ended the day with a long-overdue chat with Alice and Kelly, who were on my team many ages ago - it's almost impossible to believe, but I left my previous job two years ago this July (and two years ago right now I was on leave and had already decided to resign). It was nice to chat with them both, and since Alice is still on my old team, everything she told me verified that I made the right call to go.

sssanyway, after that, I did a tiny bit more work, then sat on my balcony and took care of various personal tasks. Eventually, [censored] got home and we talked and I was treated to an extensive history of 1950s country music. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

head in the clouds but my gravity centered

Today was the usual Monday - I had a bunch of work and a bunch of meetings, but I got to briefly discuss whole house generators in one of those meetings, which would make [censored] proud. And I did some of my work from my balcony - it was super sticky out, but being outside is way better than being inside. I'm not sure how I'll fare when I have to do my job inside during the winter, but that's a problem for Future Sara.

But for now, the best way I can help Future Sara is by going to bed - goodnight!

helter skelter in a summer swelter

I had a pretty good day today, despite potentially committing involuntary birdslaughter. I slept until almost ten, which was amazing. Then I successfully stayed off my phone and was able to write for quite a few hours - broken up, of course, by the need for coffee, and lunch, and dinner. It all almost went off the rails before it began because I went around the front of the house to move my doormat (which was in danger of getting birdshit on it due to the birds nesting in my front door wreath) - and when the mama bird flew out at my approach, three baby birds jumped out after her.

This was quite a shock, and I didn't know what to do - the birds were definitely fledglings and seemed *almost* capable of flight, but not capable enough to get back up to the nest. They all hopped/sorta flew away from me, though, and I was too stunned to do anything. After a bit of googling and consulting the Audubon Society page, I determined that I should leave them alone - and as far as I could tell, they all made it to the base of the nearby tree that the mama flew to, so hopefully they make it.

sssanyway, I spent the rest of the day mostly writing. I took a break to make supper - I made potatoes au gratin and baked a ham that had been sitting in my fridge, and it all turned out quite well. After I cleaned up the kitchen, I said goodnight to [censored], came upstairs, put fresh sheets on my bed, and wrapped up some stuff I was working on. And now I should sleep so I can switch into corporate mode tomorrow - goodnight!

grapevine

I did v. little today, which is fine considering I worked late last night and needed a day to recharge. I did take care of some minor tasks, and I enjoyed my coffee, took a leisurely shower, and spent some quality time thinking about writing (with my eyes closed, but I count it) for a couple of hours on my balcony.

Then I threw together a batch of chocolate chip chewies, and [censored] and I went out to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Dad grilled brats and hot dogs, and Mom made baked beans, and it was all quite tasty. After dinner, I continued to do virtually nothing - for some reason I've been mildly obsessing over the Ottomans recently, but I think I've learned just about everything I need to know about them, so it soon will be time to find a different wikipedia hole to go down.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!