extra bright i want you all to see this

I'm strangely tired, but Monday seems to do that to me - it's all meetings, all day, and I do not enjoy the rapid immersion into the work week. I got up this morning and wrote a little bit before work, and then I slogged all day.

I unfortunately had meetings until 6:30pm, but I took time to put some skirt steak into a marinade earlier in the afternoon, and I started some rice in the rice cooker around 5:45. So, when I was done with meetings, I fired up the grill and grilled some skirt steak for fajitas (sort of fajitas - no veggies included). Since it's getting dark way earlier than I want it to, I was finishing up the grilling as twilight descended, but I beat the darkness and it turned out quite well. I also heated up some refried beans, and so the steak + refried beans + rice made for an excellent dinner (if I do say so myself).

After chatting with [censored] while eating, I cleaned up the kitchen, retreated upstairs, and took care of some v. necessary personal business. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

i was standing in the rain just trying to stay dry

I had a lovely weekend, all in all. Friday was a lot of slogging, which is why I didn't blog, plus some Outlaw pizza that we took to mom and dad's.

Yesterday was more fun - Aunt B and I went on an excursion to check out the Amish discount store and buy mums from one of the best local greenhouses. We had a long chat with the owner of the greenhouse while I chose my mums, which was fun. And we found a few treasures at the discount store, which is why I go back occasionally even though I can't do my regular grocery shopping there. Then I did a variety of other tasks yesterday afternoon before making salmon and a cucumber salad to take to my parents' house.

Today was a little lower on the fun and heavier on the work - I spent some quality time with Aunt B and [censored] before Aunt B left to see Drewbaby and catch her flight. Then I took a long walk around town, which was nice. And then I spent the afternoon and evening taking care of house things with varying degrees of success. I ended the day by making some chili and watching the season premiere of SNL with [censored], which was reasonably funny (which is how SNL usually is). And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

you steal the air right out my lungs

I slogged incessantly today - it's felt good to get into a bit of a rhythm this week, but we'll see how long it lasts. I had relatively few meetings and quite a bit of time to get stuff done, so I worked from my favorite chair in the living room while wearing sweats and drinking coffee, and that seemed to be exactly the right approach. I probably should have worked on my balcony since winter is coming, but I'll take what I got today.

I ended the day with a long meeting about meetings with Adit (no one calls him the cat), and then I did a variety of tings around the house. I also made spaghetti and reheated some sauce from the freezer so that [censored] and I had something to eat. And then around 9pm, Aunt Becky arrived - she flew in from Colorado today and is spending the weekend here, which will be delightful. We all caught up for a couple of hours, which means I'm officially past my bedtime - and need to go to bed immediately if I'm going to be in it to win it tomorrow. Goodnight!

now we're stuck in the storm we were born to ignore

I had a long but fairly productive day - I woke up in time to be somewhat dressed by 8am in case Randy showed up (he did not), and worked in my sweats for a few hours, which often feels good. Then I took a shower, ate a bit of lunch, and slogged incessantly all afternoon. I did take a wee break because Randy came over in the afternoon to look at the trim that I wanted him to finish, so hopefully he'll come back tomorrow and finish my kitchen renovation (which happened so long ago that you probably don't even remember it).

I was done with meetings at 5:55 and then sped over to a meeting of my secret society - we started at 6 instead of 7 because it was a welcome-back-from-summer dinner, and I arrived just as they were going through the line for food.

So I ate some delicious roast beef and various other tings, and then we had a nice meeting and gift bag situation before parting ways. Then I came home and worked some more while also talking to [censored]. And now I need to go to bed so I can do many of these tings again tomorrow - goodnight!

this is america

I'm suddenly very tired, perhaps because my day didn't go as planned. I got up early because Randy was supposed to come at 8 to fix something, but he called at 7:45 because he wasn't feeling well. Then I went to the hospital at 9 to get allergy shots, but they called me at 8:55 to say they don't have my serum.

Two canceled early morning things in a row should be illegal. But I survived and slogged all day, so I guess it was fine. And I have nothing else of interest to report, so I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

like a race-car driving away from the scene

I had a pretty busy day today, as most Mondays are. I did get up in time to write a bit before work, which felt quite good - and I even had time to blow dry my hair, which almost felt even better. Thus feeling accomplished, I leaned into many hours of meetings, which went as most of these meetings usually do.

At some point, I took a break to take care of a few tings and wave [censored] off. My break extended longer than I intended for it to (and by that I mean I accidentally took a nap), but then I cleaned up around the house, ate some dinner, and did another couple of hours of work so that tomorrow won't be quite so painful.

But now, I need to go to bed - I have to get allergy shots tomorrow and I also have a potential early morning visitor, and so I have many tings to do before my work day actually begins. Goodnight!

bury them in florida

Sorry for not blogging yesterday - I was actually pretty productive and had some reasonably interesting updates to share, but I was too tired to get into it when I was ready to go to bed.

Yesterday was the town celebration, and I rallied myself to walk 'downtown' (which is three blocks long) to join the parade. I had two options - Garden Club or PEO - and I chose PEO because they had an actual seat for me in the front of the side-by-side. The class of 1964 was ahead of us - they were the last graduating class from the town's high school before it closed, and it was their 60th reunion this year. It was nice to see the festival still going, and I probably should have participated a bit more. But it looked like it might rain, so I said hi to a few people, bought a tshirt, and walked home.

I spent yesterday afternoon working in the basement, and then I made tater tot casserole and took it out to mom and dad's for dinner. [Censored] and I hung out there for awhile, and then we came home and I messed around until bed.

Today was both more and less productive - more productive because I wrote for several hours (in a couple of stints - this morning with coffee in bed; this afternoon / evening on my chaise longue), but less productive because I didn't clean anything upstairs like I had intended. However, the writing was a good feeling. I did a tiny bit more stuff in the basement, but I mostly slacked until dinner - when I made a new-to-me recipe for eggplant parmigiana. [Censored] thought I would really have something if I replaced the eggplant with chicken, which I'll accept as a review. I thought it turned out quite well, and I was especially impressed by the breading - I used the gluten free bread crumbs that I use when making ham balls, and mixed them with parmesan and some spices, and it was v. tasty. This version was also baked instead of fried, so cleanup was a lot easier - and I put it together in two smaller pans so I could freeze one immediately to eat later (and so that [censored] doesn't feel compelled to eat leftovers of something that isn't chicken].

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

honey are you coming

I had an unusual day today - I had to go to Des Moines to get my car serviced, which I kind of wanted to cancel but did not because I was already overdue. So I got up there pretty early, and then took a loaner car and went to the mall, where I worked for several hours at the Barnes and Noble cafe. I also grabbed lunch in the food court, did a bit more work, took a call, etc.

When my car was done, I picked it up and went to Whole Foods, where I stocked up on a ton of chicken and frozen salmon and cod. Then I came home, unloaded my car, did a bit more work, and chatted with [censored]. At some point Allie and Chris showed up for a brief visit since they were in the area, so we talked to them about how they're livin' for a bit. And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

good news for memoir lovers

Another v. boring day in my #smalltownlife. I got up, talked to [censored], took a shower, and partook in meetings. I also walked to the post office to mail something; I did not have 100% confidence that the postmaster took my package correctly, but I guess we'll find out.

After I was done working for the day, I made a v. simple, v. tasty pasta with italian sausage, swiss chard, milk, parmesan, and lemon zest - and it was fantastic. [censored] and I ate it while watching some 'After Midnight', which is better than when it came out a year ago. And now, I need to go to bed - goodnight!

my friends all smell like weed or little babies

I have nothing of interest to report - I spent the last couple of days working and trying to catch up on life stuff, to mixed results. I have not been feeling in it to win it, but I was a bit more productive today. It probably helped that I had to be up and dressed by 8 (such a sacrifice) because my dad's crew came to break out a bunch of concrete around my shed and fill a cistern that we had suspected was buried there. They still have to finish some more concrete work tomorrow, but I'm more excited about getting concrete removed than one would think I might be, so this is great.

I eventually stopped working, made a frittata for dinner, poured a glass of wine, and sat on my balcony until the sun set (too early; this is my least favorite thing about fall). Eventually, [censored] got home and I talked to him for a bit. Then I came upstairs and was going to go to bed, but instead I finished the book I started on the plane last week (THE GOD OF THE WOODS, which started off very slow but became very interesting and fast paced at the end). And now I need to go to sleep so that I can accomplish all the things tomorrow - goodnight!

let me give your heart a break

Yesterday I didn't blog because I had nothing to report - I wrote in the morning and spent the afternoon cleaning the house, which was necessary but also uninteresting. The best part of the day was making breakfast for dinner - [censored] and I aren't in the brunch habit in the summer, but I was in the mood for hashbrowns, and I delivered. 

Today was possibly more interesting but certainly less fun - I woke up at 3:30am to take my parents to Des Moines for a six am cardiology procedure. It went fine, but we didn't learn much, and it made for a v long day. When we finally got home, I should have worked but I mostly crashed - I napped, ate snacks instead of making dinner, took a walk, and sat on my balcony until it was too dark to see. And now I'm going to go to bed so I can hopefully get back in it to win it tomorrow - goodnight!

knocking at your door

I had a nice Saturday in ye olde Iowa. I got up around eight (shockingly) and baked a lemon cake for myself as a belated birthday celebration. The lemon cake recipe that I always used belonged to Gram, and it still works - but it's based on doctoring a boxed cake mix, and I don't think it comes together the same way it used to. Part of that is my fault - I use a gluten free yellow cake mix, since I can't eat gluten and also can't find a gf lemon cake mix. So I add a bunch of lemon zest and some lemon flavoring.

But so many products now don't come with the same volume that they did twenty years ago, and I wouldn't be surprised if cake mixes are smaller. I also haven't been able to find frozen lemonade concentrate around here - I doubt it's been fully discontinued, but I also doubt that most people mix up lemonade from a frozen can anymore. So my cake came out denser than it used to, and it was slightly more tart because I used fresh lemon juice with powdered sugar for the glaze instead of using lemonade concentrate. It was still quite tasty, but I may have to do some more radical experimentation to recreate the cake of my youth.

sssanyway, after I baked the cake and glazed it, I took care of a few other tings and then took a shower before heading to my parents'. Drewbaby and Aunt Kathy came down for the day - primarily to see dad, but they also got a crash course in local real estate and also in equipment auctions. It was great to see them, and we had a tasty lunch courtesy of Outlaw (and my cake).

The left late afternoon after touring some tings in Allerton, and then I completely spaced out for an hour. I did some laundry and tidied my room, and then I made chili (what [censored] and I call Elmer's Chili, since it's more of a paste than a soup). And then, after eating and tidying up, I came upstairs, folded laundry, finished putting everything away from my trip, and journaled a bit.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

topdown

I had a v. busy day today, and I'll be curious to see how quickly I can unwind so that I can fall asleep. I had a doctor's appointment this morning, in which I restarted allergy shots after a much-too-long hiatus, which means I basically have to start over. My allergies have been practically non-existent all summer, and I didn't react at all to the shots, so I'm hoping I can move up in dose v. quickly, but we'll see. My doctor also froze a mole (of mine, not hers) that had recently shown up, and which I had found odd since I don't really grow moles, so that was mildly exciting.

Then I sped home and had meetings straight from 11 to almost 3, and I basically didn't have a chance to eat except for the some cottage cheese and a granola bar that I snuck in between meetings. Then I devoured the leftovers of last night's burger and fries from Garden Grove, had another meeting, sat on my balcony, and should have worked but mostly procrastinated because my brain was fried.

At some point I took a brief walk, and then I ran into town and grabbed a couple of groceries. I also reheated the last of the leftover chicken tortilla soup so that [censored] and I could have it for the third night this week - it's a good thing it's good. Then I procrastinated a bit more, cleaned up the kitchen, came upstairs, and worked for the last two hours to make up for the fact that I didn't finish stuff this afternoon.

And now I need to go to bed so that I can be in it to win it tomorrow - goodnight!

live más

I have nothing to report - I slogged all day, and I also had two different local board meetings, which was about 1.5 more than I wanted. But then [censored] and I decided to go to Garden Grove for dinner, and [censored] bought in honor of my birthday, so it was a v. worthwhile excursion. I don't think we've been since my friends were here in April, since the day job is cramping my style - but the food was just as tasty as always, and I'm glad we went back.

But now I need to do some work and/or go to bed - goodnight!

we may lose and we may win though we will never be here again

Happy birthday to me! It's been a hectic couple of days - I had to take my parents to Des Moines for an appointment yesterday, which went fine, but it was more driving than I usually do on a work day. Then I came home and slogged the rest of the day before eating some leftover soup and talking to [censored].

Today was more slogging - I tried to be relaxed in the morning by making coffee and watering my plants, but I succumbed to the lure of my laptop and then slogged obsessively the whole day. However, I was able to wrap up around 5:15 so that [censored] and I could go out for dinner with the parents to celebrate my birthday. We usually never go to Seymour during the week because they only have prime rib on the weekends, but Wednesday is apparently a fried fish special, which merits a trip. I did not have fried fish because I'm trying to abstain from gluten, but my philly cheesesteak sans bun was excellent. And it was a very nice birthday dinner, even if I will have to bake a gluten free cake later this week to satisfy my cake cravings.

Then we came home and I spent the last hour or so responding to texts, doing some online tings, etc. And now I need to consider going to bed - goodnight!

i gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me

I had an unusually eventful start to the day, which resulted in me not really starting work until noon - but after that, things calmed down and I slogged the rest of the day. Then I ran into town to get some groceries, came home, and made a large batch of chicken tortilla soup. I'm hoping some of it makes it into the freezer for Future Sara (and Future [Censored]), but if it all gets eaten this week, so be it.

Beyond that, I have nothing else to report, so I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

keep me young forever

Apologies for not blogging yesterday - after a v. eventful day of traveling, I didn't have it in me. I had a v. nice final morning in SF, including a walk to the Ferry Building, a cup of Philz coffee, some tasty gluten free pastry filled with ham and cheese from Mariposa, and some time browsing the farmers' market. Then I took a self-driving car back to my hotel, retrieved my rental car and returned it to the rental center around the corner, and went back to my hotel to shower and finish packing.

It was then that I discovered that I had somehow gotten my timings mixed up; I had had it in my head all morning that I needed to leave at 11:30, but I actually needed to be at the airport no later than 11:30. Luckily I was already almost entirely packed and I didn't really need to wash my hair, so I did a speed run through my final preparations, checked out, and lucked out with no traffic on the way to the airport. I can navigate SFO almost as easily and efficiently as I can navigate DSM, so I checked my bags and was through security in less than ten minutes. I didn't have time to eat a leisurely meal like I usually do, but I made it in time to board without issues.

On the way back to Iowa, I read most of a book (THE GOD OF THE WOODS) and generally had a smooth trip. I still had enough energy to drive when I got to Des Moines, so I drove home last night and caught up with [censored] a bit before going to bed.

Today was pretty low-key - I slept later than planned due to my jetlag, but then I rallied, made some tea, took a shower, and went with [censored] to inspect [censored] before going out to the parents' house. We hung out there for awhile, and there are no good/bad updates of any kind, which I suppose is fine but is mostly frustrating.

Then we came home and I spent the afternoon attempting to do some house tasks, successfully doing laundry, and overall trying to strike a balance between sloth and engagement. At some point I went into town and picked up Mexican takeout, and then I spent the rest of the evening tidying up, folding laundry, and painting my nails.

And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

paradise

Today was a bananas day. I got up v early to drive down to Redwood City to get a whole body MRI - my boss organized a group discount, and doing some expensive tech thing to get a baseline of your health is such a silicon valley thing to do. The scan went fine, although lying still for that long was annoying - and I'm looking forward to seeing the results. 

Then I ran a bunch of errands for work, which was a mad scramble - I picked up name tags, got cash, attempted to buy speakers, bought ice, and got to the office to discover that they had all bed dealing with a flood. But we pulled it together enough to host an event today, which was fun. And then I slogged all afternoon, which was less fun. 

But I ducked out around five and met up with Lauren (aka Subz) at Mykonos in Burlingame. The place was super fun an the was giving vibes that reminded us of Touch, which was a club we went to in India when we were children. We had a v excellent conversation and some tasty food, and I am so glad I got to see her. 

While Lauren is always a great way to end my trip, I'm unfortunately ending it earlier than planned - my dad got sick this week, and I decided to cancel my weekend plans and go home tomorrow. So now I'm going to bed early so I can pack and head for the airport tomorrow - goodnight!

baby I just want to dance

I had a v lovely day, all in all - I didn't go to the office because I had several things to take care of near the hotel (namely laundry + picking up a rental car for some things I have to do this week). But I slogged all day with some degree of success, and I continued to slog over a snack to fortify me for a v late dinner reservation. 

Dinner was at Rich Table, which I hadn't been to since a nice night with Jen Lui many years ago. Adit made the reservation today and it's usually hard to get in on that short notice, but all the restaurants in the city seem to have availability right now (prevailing wisdom says it's the after effects of Burning Man last week). Chandlord and I met up and walked over together, which I thought was a nice gesture until I realized she just wanted a captive audience for her slide show of her Bali trip. 

sssanyway, the reservation was at 8:30 (feeling a little like country mouse in the face of these city mouse dinner times), and we had an excellent meal. Their gluten free options were excellent, and we were also able to do vegetarian well, so we all won. We had an excellent caesar salad, an even better burrata and tomato salad, and a v interesting and tasty "peaches and cream" with excellent peaches and some tangy creamy goodness. Our entrees were a gluten free pasta and a fried rice with cheese that was way better than you might have expected. And we ordered an outstanding frozen granita / sherbet thing for dessert, but they also brought me a strawberry panna cotta with a birthday candle. I don't usually love panna cotta, but this one was perfect. 

Throughout all that, we stayed remarkably sober while discussing a variety of life questions (mostly "how are you living"). And now I need to sleep because I have to get to the office all too soon tomorrow - goodnight!

know yourself and who you came in with

I had a surprisingly good first day back after a long weekend - and after not really getting any work done last week, despite being v. busy with work related tings. I chose to go into the office even though a lot of people weren't, and I'm glad I did - it was sunny and the new office is beautiful, and I actually strangely enjoyed riding MUNI (in this case, a train/streetcar that starts underground and then moves overground), which was v. convenient from my hotel to the office. I was the first one in, but Adit and a few other people showed up, which made it worth it.

So I slogged all day, with varying results, and also ate a tasty Korean beef bowl from today's lunch delivery. Then I caught the streetcar back to my hotel, where I relaxed, did a few tings, and then had a late dinner (made even later because the kitchen was slammed by a v. large group and I wanted to die by the time my food came). But all in all it was good, and now I need to wind down and go to bed - the rest of my week is jam-packed with plans and I want to make the most of them. Goodnight!

even the devil need time alone sometimes

I intentionally chose to have another quiet day today - I'm about to embark on a whirlwind of work and social activity, and it was nice to hermit for a bit. I spent the morning writing / eating breakfast at the hotel, which was something I used to love doing during pre-pandemic travel. At some point, I packed everything up, showered, and vacated my room - I had a late checkout, which made everything much more pleasant.

When I checked out, I left my bags with the bell desk and sat at the Fairmont's roof garden while I called my parents and [censored]. Calling my parents on Sundays (or, in this case, the last day of a long weekend) used to be a tradition, so I decided to revive it today. I also had to catch up with [censored] on the latest developments in our general vicinity, since my cameras can't catch all the gossip in town.

Then, I should have come to my new hotel, but instead I had a glass of wine and some fries at the old hotel while writing in my journal. I finally ubered over here and checked in, and I'm in a room that's identical to the room that I spent my covid sick days in in April, so I'm having a bit of PTSD over that. But I got unpacked, organized everything, and then had a late dinner at the bar while getting a head start on some work for tomorrow (or belatedly doing work that I should have done earlier in the weekend).

And now I need to go to bed so that I can get with the program tomorrow - goodnight!

hey I was doing just fine before I met you

I had a lovely day in the city - it was perfectly sunny and just a little breezy, and I took advantage of it. When I woke up I went to Coffee Movement for a latte and a v tasty gluten free orange and pistachio muffin. And then I spent the morning doing some journaling / writing, which is my favorite Sunday activity. 

After I showered, I went to the marina to do some shopping in my old neighborhood. Many of the stores have changed, but it was still nice to walk down Chestnut. I also took my very first Waymo ride - self driving taxis are fully a thing now in San Francisco, and it felt a little wild to get into an empty car and have it drive me (complete with a string wheel that appeared to be turned by ghosts) across the city. It actually felt way safer than many taxis and Ubers I've been in, and it didn't subject me to the convo that one in ten Uber drivers start about how it's impossible to make a living driving Uber (and I did not feel compelled to tip the robot car). I don't know that it's a positive impulse to want to ride in a silent car over engaging with another human, but I quite enjoyed it. 

After the marina, I took the Fillmore bus up to the main Fillmore shopping area. I had lunch (oysters and fries) at Little Shucker, which is a big aesthetic and food improvement over The Grove, which it replaced. I also did some window shopping before coming back to my hotel and taking a nap. 

Then I went to Katrina's new house so I could see both it and her. She has an amazing view of the city, and also has the dilemma of how to redo her kitchen that just about every new homeowner has. The space overall is great, and I can't wait to see what she does with it. Then we walked down the hill and grabbed dinner at a delicious Detroit-style pizza place that had the most perfect pizza. 

After we caught up on many subjects, it was time to say farewell. And I'm falling asleep as I write this, so I'm going to end abruptly - goodnight!

scratch, kick, let gravity win

I had a v lovely day - I kept it totally open to recover from the last couple of weeks, and it was exactly what I needed. I spent most of it doing spa tings while staying off my phone, and I should do that much more often. 

But even though I spent much of the day lying down, I feel desperately in need of going to bed - goodnight!