don't you want to play the beautiful game out in brazil

Happy New Year! I spent the day getting allergy shots, baking, and playing a game of Ticket to Ride with the family (my dad won handily). Then [censored] and I came back to town so that he could continue coughing up his lungs in peace (and also watch a few episodes of Stargate).

Then I wrote in my journal to ring in the new year, and now I need to sleep - goodnight!

she's a magnet pulling me under the sheets

Happy Monday! Today was supposed to be family Christmas, but we canceled due to [censored]'s lingering plague. I woke up this morning feeling not so great. My fitness tracking smart ring (a phrase that would have been incomprehensible back when I was seven and the only medicine around was some whiskey poured into a warm Coke) said that I'm showing symptoms of minor illness strain, but who knows? Maybe I'm strained from continually fighting off a week of exposure to [censored].

sssanyway. Despite not feeling all that hot, I worked most of the day - I have some tings I want to get done before the new year but have also been procrastinating on, so I decided to knock some of them out. I also watched the Iowa State / Colorado basketball game tonight - it was too close for comfort at various points, but it was fun to watch, and it's clear that Big 12 play is going to be as brutal as it always is.

After the game was over, I did another couple of hours of work so that I could send some tings to Adit (no one calls him the cat at work, even if some people theoretically call him the cat elsewhere). And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

caught up in your headlights, frozen again

Apologies for not blogging the last couple of nights - I would attribute it to the head injury I sustained when [censored] shot me in the forehead with a dart gun a few days ago, but I think I've recovered from that (unless I have a secret brain bleed, in which case I haven't). I have had absolutely nothing to report - [censored] is still sick, which means tings are very boring around here. I was looking forward to spicing things up by having some houseguests this weekend, but the houseguests decided that they didn't want to get exposed to the plague, and it was also clear that exposing a plague victim to some houseguests probably wasn't a good call either.

So, our broader family Christmas is officially canceled, which is a bummer, but it was the right call. I was going to spend today and tomorrow cleaning - and I probably still should - but the lack of immediate houseguests made me lazy. Instead, I did a bunch of desk / paperwork-type stuff (still worthwhile!), messed around, ran some errands, and watched the very tail end of the Iowa State bowl game (the Pop Tarts bowl, which was an absurd theme that the Pop Tarts crew really ran with).

Then I made some pasta to use up a bunch of mushrooms and cream that were going to go bad. [Censored] and I ate it while watching the end of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' (still a banger), followed by Nate Bargatze's latest comedy special, which was great.

And now I need to sleep - or perhaps read and pretend I'm on vacation for one night only. Goodnight!

christmas comes this time each year

Merry Christmas! Today was an unusual departure from our usual traditions - [censored] is still pretty sick, but we decided to go ahead with brunch and packages at the parents' house. However, we had brunch at noon and did presents after for the first time in my entire life - usually I have to get up super early (like seven a.m.!!) to open gifts first thing.

So this situation was good for me, even if it still seems likely that I'll get strep or whatever [censored] has - no signs yet though. I made coffee and played Christmas music while I finished wrapping presents, and then we went out to Mom and Dad's. Mom made breakfast casserole and some awesome muffins, which we all enjoyed. And then we opened gifts, and I was delighted by what I got (and also delighted by what I gave). It was a fun afternoon even if we didn't get to play games, and hopefully we can do that another day. 

[Censored] and I came back to my place after that since we decided not to extend the exposure through dinner. I was v lazy the rest of the day - I watched some tv, played on my phone, looked at cookbooks, ate some leftovers, journaled with my new fountain pen (it's extremely hot pink and has extremely hot pink ink to match, and I love it), etc. And now I'm going to read a bit before bed - I have to work tomorrow, which is a cruel jhoke, but I'll survive. Goodnight!

baby it's cold outside

Merry Christmas Eve! Or not so merry, bc [censored] is sick and that has thrown plans into disarray. I got up this morning earlier than I wanted to so that I could get allergy shots. They went fine, but there's a reason they're not a traditional Christmas Eve activity. I also grabbed a couple of last tings in town before coming home.

My afternoon was much more chill than I had planned - I did take care of some work and also some personal stuff, but I didn't make lasagna (our traditional Christmas Eve dinner) because we decided not to do dinner with the parents to avoid exposing them to whatever [censored] has. I also skipped going to Christmas Eve church with my mom for similar reasons. Instead, I finished decorating, and then ate some leftover soup while watching TV with [censored]. I'm probably going to catch whatever he has, but I haven't succumbed yet. 

But now, it's time for bed - goodnight!

go slow-motion, cut it to black

I apparently didn't blog this weekend, which surprised me too - but I've been frenetically trying to prep for the holidays while also dealing with my job getting busier than I expected, which has taken it out of me. Saturday, we celebrated Christmas at my sister's house - which mostly meant getting status updates on my nieces and nephew, while listening to children shriek in the background. There were fewer children than last year and also a new face thanks to some life changes in the group, but on the whole everyone seemed to be doing fine.

After our Christmas celebrate, [censored] and I came home and I made an attempt at kung pao chicken using a spice packet I'd acquired, but neither of us liked it very much, which was a shame. Then we watched some SNL from the previous week, and I attempted to get a million hours of sleep to make up for what I missed last week.

Sunday was a blur - I mostly spent it cleaning and making some feeble attempts to decorate for Christmas, and then I picked up Mexican takeout before watching this weekend's SNL (which was a real highlight thanks to cameos from many former SNL stars/hosts). Today was also a blur - I thought this week would slow down, but my boss takes approximately zero days off a year, and so many meetings with him went on as usual.

So I did a few hours of meetings, took a break to go into town for groceries, and then went back into town for more groceries when [censored] suddenly fell ill and clearly needed some soup to help with survival. Any soup I could make with ingredients on hand is more of a sludge than a soup, so I ran back into town for carrots/celery and made chicken tortilla soup for dinner. This was pretty tasty, and if I succumb to whatever illness has suddenly sprung upon [censored], I'm going to want soup leftovers too.

After eating / chilling for awhile, I came upstairs and did a couple of hours of work to make up for my long afternoon break. And now I need to go to bed and hope I can stave off whatever [censored] is getting. Goodnight!

and all our ghosts get swept away, it didn't used to be this way

I did not slog as incessantly today as I usually do - today was the Garden Club Christmas lunch, and I decided to go to that rather than being a good corporate drone. My mom picked me up and we went to Tracy's house, which was v. well decorated for Christmas (in fact, it was approximately the exact opposite of how much I've decorated for Christmas). Many of the usual suspects were there, and we had a v. tasty potluck before exchanging some grab bag gifts. All in all it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours, and I'm glad I made time for it.

Then I came home, should have worked, and instead didn't get quite enough done because I accidentally took a nap. But I crossed a few things off my list and had one final meeting of the week, so I'll take it.

Then, I bundled up and braved the cold with [censored] to have dinner with the parents in Seymour. We went out tonight to celebrate Mom's birthday, which we accomplished with onion rings and the usual tasty offerings. Then we came home and watched a bit of the most recent SNL. I ended the night by folding laundry, doing the last work task that I hadn't finished today, and taking care of some personal business - so all in all it was a pretty good day.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

hold me fast 'cause i'm a hopeless wanderer

I have once again stayed up too late - but I had a decent day, so I guess it's fine. I slogged pretty relentlessly from 9:30ish to 5ish, and then I took a bit of a break before a 6:30 meeting. Once that was done, I ate some leftover butter chicken and messed around on my phone(s) for awhile. Eventually, I had procrastinated enough, and so I spent the last two hours doing the final bits of work stuff that I needed to get out tonight.

And now, I need to sleep - I have a dentist appointment tomorrow, and while it's not at an ungodly hour, it still requires me to get out of my pajamas earlier than I am accustomed to.

Finally, though - happy birthday to my mom! and also happy birthday to chandlord! I did not see either of them on their birthdays, so at least this year I'm keeping it fair between them. Goodnight!

don't you want to spend it with me

I'm v. tired - I had a good day, but I spent too much of it looking at screens. I journaled over coffee when I woke up this morning, which was great, and then I went straight into slogging. I worked until almost seven, but I took a break for allergy shots (not exactly luxurious). Then I ate chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries (dinner of champions), did some Christmas stuff, and designed my Christmas card (which is a New Years card this year because it's already December 17 and it will not get out in time for Christmas).

And now, after expending all of my creativity on the card, it's time for bed - goodnight!

i've got my contact high, you've got your powdered lies

I woke up in Des Moines this morning feeling like I got a decent amount of sleep, but I need to remember not to stay at the Fairfield - the hotel is totally fine, but the bedding is basically a thin coverlet instead of a comforter, which I hate. But otherwise, my evening / morning were fine. I didn't dilly-dally after I woke up, so I got out of the hotel at a reasonable hour and headed south. I stopped for some groceries, and I probably should have had more coffee than I did - especially since I had to navigate an increasing amount of fog over the course of my drive. But I made it home before noon, so I'll take it as a win.

Once I got here, I probably should have been more productive, but I wasn't feeling it. I talked to [censored] for awhile, went through the massive number of packages that arrived while I was gone, did a tiny bit of unpacking, took a nap, etc. Then I went out to my parents' house to say hi to them and stayed for a bit. By the time I got home, [censored] had disappeared to head north, and so I took advantage of his absence to make butter chicken using a spice packet that I'd ordered from a spice shop that my work friend (not Adit, another one) recommended. The sauce was super tasty, and the chicken was too - but the chicken was a little too well done for my tastes. I followed the directions on the packet, which recommended broiling for 15min, but as someone who never uses a broiler, I didn't know that the chicken by the door might still look fine while the back was charred. It was all edible, and a slight amount of char would be great, but I think I'll cut the time next time.

Despite the overcooked chicken, the dish was super tasty, and I would 100% make it again. After I ate, I cleaned up the kitchen, folded some laundry, and then did a bit of work while chatting with Adit about it. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

I've been drinking from a periscope

I'm back in ye olde Iowa, but I'm not in my house - I landed a little before midnight, and it's foggy and icy, so I decided not to be a hero and to check into a hotel instead. Luckily Des Moines is so efficient that I'm literally in bed, after getting my checked luggage and my parked car, less than an hour after landing, so it could be worse.

My day was generally good, but it got off to a bizarre start - my phone(s) woke me up at 5:45am with a blaring tornado warning. This is a normal thing in Iowa, but this was literally the first one ever in San Francisco. I did not go downstairs because I didn't want to risk getting stuck eleven floors down if the power went out, but I retreated to my windowless bathroom while I figured out the danger level. I quickly determined I was going to be fine, but I was extremely unimpressed by the local news coverage - where Iowa meteorologists would have had a tracker on possible rotation and projected it down to the block level, the SF news caster said, "there's a tornado warning in San Francisco, but the rain is clearing out in the north bay," and then went to a story about the insurance assassin like the weather was of no importance. But I saw enough to tell my friend Jane that she could stop hanging out in her garage, so at least I did someone a favor with my Iowa knowledge. 

After that, I dozed for awhile, then finally got around, grabbed coffee, packed, showered, etc. Then I took an Uber to Hillsdale, where I had a friendship renewal brunch with Jen, Jane, and Joann. We went to Palette for dim sum, and since I hadn't had dim sum in forever, I mostly ignored my gluten issues and went deep. Jen convinced them to make honey walnut shrimp even though they only serve it at dinner, and we had many tasty morsels (including eel wrapped in rice crepe that was very interesting and good, and my beloved braised pork in bean curd, and shrimp dumplings and shu mai, and some tasty little egg custard dumplings, and I even loved the radish cake and the pea shoots, which I can normally take or leave).

We had many things to catch up on and clearly didn't have time for it all, but it was great to spend a couple of hours with them. Then Jane dropped me at the airport and I sped through security, grabbed a glass of rosé, and did some work stuff and personal stuff. Both my flights were mostly on time, which was a surprise given the weather, and I slept and journaled and read through both. 

But now I need to sleep so I can get home tomorrow - goodnight!

I got new rules I count em

I'm falling asleep, but I had a good day - lots of sleep, some coffee, some stretching with my travel theragun, etc. I slogged all day, had lunch and a long meeting with Adit, and then I left, got my nails done, and ran some errands on Fillmore.

I was going to pack and generally chill tonight, but instead chandlord came over and we had drinks and takeout. This was v necessary and I'm glad we made it happen. But now I need to sleep and- goodnight!

song of the yellow, song of the red

I had a v long slog today - there was some stuff launching at work, and so when I woke up at 6:30, I grabbed some coffee from the lobby and then worked extremely diligently and without pause (except to grab another cup of coffee) until 11:30. Then I took a v quick shower, grabbed an uber, went to the office, and walked in just in time to do a 12:30 meeting.

But then I decreased my stress levels by hanging out in the kitchen and eating lunch with several people, which was excellent. And then I had some more meetings / more work, but it was all manageable. One of those meetings was a book club (where I discussed PLAYGROUND again), so I can't complain. And then we had a team dinner - unfortunately it was in San Mateo, and the traffic sucked due to some rain, but I rode down with Timothy, Kate, and Adit, and we had a v. fun time (or at least all of us who weren't driving had a fun time).

The team dinner was in a private room in some hot pot place, which was delish - for those of you who aren't hot pot aficionados, we each got our own pot of broth on top of an induction burner at our seat, and then a whole bunch of meats and veggies to toss into it and flash cook. It was v. tasty, but at some point I stopped caring about the broth and went too deep on several bottles of sake (as did six or ten other people, so I was in good company). We had to meet the food and beverage minimum, and the easiest way was through beverages, so really we were being quite responsible. And we discussed all sorts of absurd subjects, like dental dad cults and whether oysters are smart, so I'd say it was a success.

And then I ubered back to my hotel, did a v. tiny amount of additional work, and now I need to sleep. Goodnight!

where do the good boys go to hide away

I had a long but good day - I woke up at 6:15 and started working almost immediately, since I had a million things to do. I slogged, fueled by free hotel coffee, until I had just barely enough time to shower before getting to the office for a ten a.m. meeting. Then I had more meetings and more slogging, but it wasn't as onerous as yesterday's slew of meetings.

I left early and came back to my hotel, where I worked for an hour while eating some french fries to tide me over. Then I took BART to Oakland, which is not what I usually do - but I had a dinner date with John and Jess, and it was the most viable option. We had a book club of sorts to discuss PLAYGROUND, which I loved talking about, and we had a good time catching up on life.

Then I came back to the hotel (courtesy of an overly chatty Uber driver), and now I'm desperate for sleep. Goodnight!

you have a drumstick and your brain stops sticking

I had a v v busy day - I did work at the hotel until I had to go on, and then I had meetings straight from 10-4:15 with no break. I used to do this all the time at my old job, but I'm out of practice, so it felt like my brain was melting by the end.

But I survived, and then I had dinner with Veronica, which was a delight. And now I'm going to go to bed v early for California so I can hopefully get cracking when I wake up. Goodnight!

even the devil needs time some dometimes

I had a lovely day, all in all, but I'm jet lagged and did way too much with today. I would regale you with the details, but I'm falling asleep while typing this, which never ends well. So I think sleep is more important to my overall life than writing this - which means goodnight!

the city that rocks

I'm extremely tired, but I had a successful day - I got a lot of sleep last night, and then I spent the morning getting ready to leave my house and fly to SF. This trip has been tentatively on the books for awhile, but I made zero plans for it (other than booking the flight and hotel) bc I was waiting to see how my dad's appointment last week went. So, I'm slap-dashedly pulling together social plans for the week, but since the primary purpose of the trip is work, I know that at least that will be accomplished. 

Anyway, I packed, watered plants, took care of various things, and left in time to get to the airport and eat a salad before departure. My first flight was easy, and then I had a long layover in Denver, where I worked and ate some more. Unfortunately my flight was delayed on the runway for awhile, so I didn't get to SF until after 11pm...but my bag beat me here, so I didn't have to wait. And I slept on the plane, which is all that saved me.

And now, I've unpacked and settled in and desperately need to sleep before I collapse - goodnight!

along for the ride

I got up, v. unenthusiastically, at 5:30am. I actually woke up at 4:30 and couldn't really fall back asleep, which made it even more unfortunate. But I dragged myself out of bed, made coffee (in my new coffeemaker, yay), and then [censored] and I drove up to Des Moines to pick up my dad's truck. We got there shortly after the service center opened, and [censored] and I parted ways ten minutes later - [censored] to come home and get started with the rest of his day, while I did a bit of grocery shopping.

First, though, I grabbed some McDonald's and then took a nap in the Whole Foods parking lot. Then I stocked up on gluten free frozen meals - even though they're basically awash in plastics, sometimes desperate times call for a little extra cancer risk. And then I went downtown to check out an Asian grocery store I've been wanting to go to - it wasn't as impressive as H Mart, but it was quite well laid out and had a lot of tings, and if you want pigs' feet I now know where to get them. Their produce looked especially promising, but I didn't get any because my plans this week mean I won't have time for cooking.

Then I drove home, with a quick stop at a greenhouse for some poinsettias (for me) and a grab bag gift (for some lucky Garden Club person). When I got home, I unloaded the car, made some more coffee, and helped [censored] deliver the truck to mom and dad's. We hung out there for a bit, and then I came home, attempted to do tings, and mostly failed.

But I made breakfast for dinner, which was tasty, and I made a bunch of lists and did some laundry and took care of other tasks. And now I'm going to go to bed early and hope that I recover my energy so I can do all the tings tomorrow - goodnight!

where are you now

Yesterday was a v. nice day, and I should have blogged about it - although in retrospect, I only thought it was nice because it ended with a v. lovely chat with Ritu. Otherwise, it was mostly the usual - I did a bunch of work, then made chili for dinner. But Ritu is always a good time, so I'm glad we caught up.

Today was similar - I woke up, chatted with [censored] while making my coffee, and then slogged through the morning / afternoon. I ran into town to get allergy shots, and then I came home and worked the rest of the day. At some point, [censored] and I ate dinner, and then I set up my new coffeemaker. This was one of my black friday #treatyoself purchases, since my current coffeemaker is slowly getting less hot - and I'm pretty excited to actually make coffee with it tomorrow.

Unfortunately, that experiment is going to be insanely early because [censored] and I have to run a six a.m. errand to Des Moines - so hopefully the coffee tastes good enough to make me less surly about getting up. We shall see, we shall see. But now it's time for bed - goodnight!

born slippy

I did a million hours of work today, which is perhaps an exaggeration but doesn't feel like it. I did my best work before I showered, when I could sit on my chaise while wearing sweats and pretending that I was living my best life. I also had a long chat with one of my work friends (not Adit), with whom I've become close enough that I accepted a video call even though I hadn't done my makeup or washed my hair.

Then I finally showered, had meetings, ate some leftover pizza, made a v. quick trip to the grocery store, came home, and slogged until evening. Then I made a pretty basic but reasonably tasty chicken stirfry and some rice. I finished eating right before [censored] came home, and we watched the tail end of a v. good Iowa State basketball game and chatted a bit while I took care of some minor work tasks.

I came upstairs with the intention of folding laundry and going to bed, but I decided to be a good corporate drone and make a slide tonight rather than going to bed and hoping for the best tomorrow. Happily the slide is done; unhappily it's now after midnight and I need to get to bed immediately. Goodnight!

baby i'm howling for you

Nothing to report - I had a supremely boring day, since I spent it mostly slogging. However, I slogged while well-caffeinated, and I had some fun chats to break up the day, so it could have been worse. I was also in a surprisingly good mood considering that I woke up to clouds and a dusting of snow, and I managed to stay focused despite being cold (and somewhat surly about being cold).

At some point [censored] left, and I spent my solo evening eating leftovers, messing around online, doing some more work, and taking advantage of the last of the cyber monday sales. And with that all accomplished, it's time for bed - goodnight!

dancing through life

It is absolutely freezing here, which is a harsh reminder that winter exists and I live in a place where there is several months of it to contend with. I did not want to get out of bed today, but I had an 11am appointment in Des Moines to get my nails done, so I forced myself to rally. Unusually, I drove my dad's truck to the appointment - the real reason I made it was because I was going to have to go to Des Moines to drop the truck off for service anyway, so I might as well #treatmyself in the meantime.

So I got my nails done, then went to the mall and did a bit of shopping / browsing. Most of the stores were fairly quiet, but Scheels was an absolute zoo - but a worthwhile zoo to go to, since I wanted thick waterproof gloves with e-tips and I managed to find them (and a few tops on sale). Then I went to Container Store to further my efforts to organize my freezer, and then I picked up Starbucks on the way to meet [censored] at the car dealership. We dropped Dad's truck there, and then [censored] brought me home, which was v. kind of him.

I then spent the rest of the evening doing a variety of tings that were necessary, but perhaps not the most urgent - but everything feels necessary and urgent right now, so I guess it will have to do. And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!