play that music too loud

I had a v nice final day in NYC. I got up and walked to Starbucks, where I wrote for an hour while drinking some cold brew. Then I came back to my hotel and got ready for the day. The first stop was meeting Terry at the Met - I had not seen Terry in the flesh since her wedding in 2022, so we were overdue. 

We wandered around a bit of the museum before realizing we just wanted to talk, so we grabbed coffee in the cafe and sat for an hour or so. Then we checked out some of the painting exhibits, which were varying degrees of lovely. It was nice to hang out in a museum for awhile, and even nicer to go with Terry. 

Then we walked across Central Park to the upper west side, where we spent twenty minutes browsing at the Strand bookstore while waiting for a wine bar to open. The wine bar was quite good - I had an excellent red (and another half glass of the same), and we had fries to revive ourselves, and then they have us a free glass of champagne as we settled the bill. This is, as you can imagine, my kind of scene. 

Then we adjourned briefly to Terry's apartment, where I met her daughters, who are super cute. We also said hi to Haseeb before leaving them to go out for an early dinner at a nearby Greek place, which was delish.

So, all in all it was a v nice day, and it was great to spend so much quality time with Terry. Then we parted ways and her doorman procured me a cab so I could return to my hotel. When I got here I accidentally took a nap, and then I packed so I'll be ready to go tomorrow. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

rest in peace bob marley

I had a v low-key day compared to all the other days I've had recently - I worked from my hotel, saw no one, and slacked off early to go shopping in Soho. I bought several cute tops before the economy collapses and tariffs render clothing impossibly expensive, so that was exciting. I also started reading a book about AI (NEXUS by Yuval Noah Harari), which is probably silly because a book that came out last year is already obsolete, but it's interesting so far. 

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

joy to you and me

I felt about as well as I deserved this morning - not bad, but not really in it to win it after getting less than six hours of sleep. But I rallied and went into the office, where I had v few meetings and so was able to get a lot done.

I cut out around five, and I said my farewells to the NYC office crew before walking back to my hotel to drop off my laptop. Then I caught the subway to Brooklyn, where I met Emily (one of my favorite coworkers) at Laser Wolf. This sounds like a much different scene than it was - maybe it sounds like a dance club, but it's a Mediterranean place with fantastic food and a great view of the Manhattan skyline. This was a great way to catch up with Emily outside of work, and also to meet her wife Lauren, who was v interesting (also a lawyer, ran for Congress in Florida at some point, seems super smart). All in all it was a great evening, and much more sedate than last night since I had one cocktail and then called it quits by 8:30.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

top down

I had an excellent day in New York - it really is a delightful city, perhaps even moreso than SF (and certainly moreso than Des Moines for my specific vibe). I got up, showered, ate some leftover pasta instead of breakfast, and then walked to the office. There, I slogged for several hours, until it was time to abscond to the two pm team lunch (which was two hours later than I'm wanted to eat, but when in Rome...).

So eight of us had lunch at a fancy place nearby that satisfied my coastal elite desires for rosé and appetizers and a perfect burger. We had many fun convos about crows, raccoons, and other topics. And then we went back to the office around 3:45 and pretended to work until seven...

... When Kleidi, Emre, Finn, Gary, Sid, Swati, Adit and I went to some Georgian restaurant (the Caucasus country, not the southern state) restaurant for a team dinner. It was less fancy than lunch, but we made up the spend by ordering many cocktails and basically closing the place down. We lost some people over the course of the evening, but of course Adit and I wanted a punch bowl to close out the night. So we dragged Gary, Sid and Swati to Jungle Bird, which we thought would have punch bowls, but we were misled. We still ordered drinks, and then more drinks, and suddenly we had discussed our company foibles until two am. 

And now, after an imminently fun evening it's time for bed - goodnight!

oysters in my pocket

I had a v nice day in NYC. I got plenty of sleep, got ready, and walked to the office, with a stop for Starbucks en route. The office is near Union Square (the NYC version, not the SF version), and the walk was easy and a good way to wake up.

Then I slogged all day, but with several fun coworkers around and the ability to order doordash for lunch. I had a plethora of meetings in the afternoon, and then I skipped out at 5:15 to walk west toward Chelsea. I had a date with my friend Sara at Mermaid Inn, which I was v excited about. It was a strange situation for two reasons: 1) Sara is my friend from Boulder and I never expected her to leave Colorado, but she got a job at YouTube and so she and her husband moved here, and 2) Mermaid Inn is a restaurant I associate with Ritu and many, many oyster massacres.

We arrived just on the late edge of happy hour, and I panic ordered six oysters before Sara arrived bc I didn't know if she would eat them. Then we ordered dinner, which for me was an appetizer of risotto (delish) and eight more oysters. And we caught up on all the many changes in each other's lives - I hadn't seen her since before I started my job (a year ago) and we had many many things to discuss. 

So, that was accomplished in style, and I'm looking forward to seeing her the next time I'm in NYC. Then I walked back to my hotel (for a total of three miles of walking today) and had a late meeting with Adit and Baz. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

just meet me at the apt

I had a pretty good day in NYC - it felt surprisingly easy to drop into the city and get on with my day. I got over eight hours of sleep last night, and my cough is barely lingering - getting out of the ice rink and into normal temperatures will probably help. And I decided to work from my hotel so that I could catch up on stuff without distractions, which was the right call. 

So I got Starbucks to fuel my morning, and then I crossed a bunch of stuff off my list. I mistimed my lunch, which meant I was ravenous and then too full when my earlyish dinner approached. And then I slogged until five, when I signed off and walked south for my dinner date. On the way, I talked to my parents, who seemed to be doing well. And I got to the restaurant a few minutes early, just in time to step inside and avoid the sprinkles starting outside. 

My dinner date was my friend Maya, whom I haven't seen since before the pandemic. She's also a writer, and the same age, and we have other parallels, so it was fantastic to properly catch up with her. We went to Nami Nori, which is a gluten free Japanese place, and it was absolutely delish. Unfortunately for me I was too full to finish everything due to my aforementioned lunch debacle, but I did finish my half of the bottle of champagne and the gf churros we had at the end. And talking to Maya was fantastic, so hopefully I have many more NYC trips in my future (or convince her to come to Iowa, which is a possibility).

After we parted ways, I walked back to my hotel and did a bit of desultory work. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

cruel summer

I have successfully arrived in New York after a v smooth day of travel. I am also feeling quite a bit better, and my cough has mostly subsided (although it sounds gnarly when it does happen. But unfortunately I didn't sleep at all well last night, possibly due to all the drugs I'm using to cure myself. So, I was dragging this morning when I had to get up and pack. 

But Sherry and I successfully made it out of the Airbnb for the last time and said our farewells. Then I took an Uber to the train station, where I boarded an Acela train to New York. It was perfectly on time, and I spent the four hours writing, reading, dozing, etc. When I got to the city, I walked to my hotel, checked in, and promptly took a nap. 

Once I was a little more recovered (even though I could have slept for hours), I unpacked, and then I grabbed dinner at La Pecora Bianca (translation: white sheep, which seemed like a good omen given my grandparents). Their gluten free pasta was excellent, and I sat at a bar seat at the window and enjoyed some people watching on Broadway while journaling. Then I came back to my room, did some more tasks, and decided to go to bed v early (for me) in hopes of recovering more before tomorrow. Goodnight!

i'm not a vampire

The figure skating championships ended today, and they went out with a bang. I had thought about watching the men's practice this morning, but it was v cold and a little rainy, and so I decide to stay close to home to preserve my health. Luckily I'm feeling better than I did yesterday - still congested, but not getting worse.

So I spent a v pleasant hour at a nearby Starbucks, where I wrote/journaled. I also picked up some additional supplies at CVS, then came back and ordered Thai food because I'm in a place where I can. Then, Sherry and I went to watch the ice dance final. I still don't love ice dance, but the final twelve performances were quite fun. And Madison Chock and Evan Bates won gold, which was v exciting for American figure skating. 

We didn't stick around for that medal ceremony, though (even though we watched it for pairs and women's) bc there was v limited time to dash home and eat before the men's final. I wanted to see as much of the men as possible (that's what she said), so I left Sherry behind (she is on deadline with a book) and got back to the arena in the middle of the first group. Sherry did come for the second half, which was by far the better half, but I still enjoyed the earlier guys.

Overall, the men did great - a lot of pretty clean programs, and some v nice artistry. I especially liked Adam Siao Him Fa from France - like his French predecessor Surya Bonaly (whom I loved in the nineties) he does a back flip that is to die for, but it no longer gets a penalty as of this year. There was also a kid from Kazakhstan (Mikhail Shaidorov) who gave an awesome performance and ended up getting silver. But the star of the night was definitely Ilia Malinin - he gave an awesome performance and netted the third gold of this Worlds for the US. We did stick around for that medal ceremony before calling it a night.

So all in all, I had a great time at Worlds. The energy was excellent - the audience was really into it and gave standing ovations to a lot of skaters (not just Americans), which clearly meant a lot to the performers. It was cool to see the skaters who will likely be at the Olympics next year - and while I was too tired to talk about the women last night, Alysa Liu for the US and Kaoro Sakamoto for Japan were both phenomenal. It'll be interesting to see what impact the Secret Russians will have next year - there were a bunch of them allowed to compete for other countries at Worlds (including the woman in the US's best pairs team) but they can't compete at the Olympics without having actual citizenship of the countries they represent. So it's a mad dash for them to all get citizenship in time...but a million things will happen between now and 2026, so we'll see what happens.

And now I need to go to bed - I had a great time at the competition and a great time with Sherry, but it's almost time to continue my adventures. Goodnight!

running up that hill

I had a great day of skating - or at least a fantastic evening of skating. I was going to watch the women's practice this morning, but I took it easy instead - I'm definitely sick, which is v unwelcome. It's a v weird situation because I don't actually feel that bad, but it's like I skipped a cold and somehow went straight to the hacking, lingering bronchitis that I sometimes get after colds. I coughed so hard at the rink this afternoon that I felt like I was having an asthma attack - this pattern of getting sick and then getting bronchitis used to happen frequently enough that I took an Albuterol inhaler on trips, but it probably hasn't happened since pre pandemic. But I survived and I'm sure I'll feel better soon. 

Ssssanyway, I spent the day hanging out and doing laundry and having copious amounts of hot liquid. Then Sherry and I caught the second half of the ice dance rhythm dance portion of the event. Judging by the fact that I stepped out to take a call for 30min, and Sherry slept that whole time, I'd say it's safe to say that watching dance in person isn't that much more exciting that watching it in on TV. We came back to the Airbnb to grab dinner, then caught most of the women's final, which was electric.

And now, I'm falling asleep while trying to write this so I think it's time for bed. Goodnight!

all my tears have been used up on another love

Another day of skating down, and it was pretty great. Sherry and I had a v leisurely morning - she made pancakes, and I benefitted from her desire to use up groceries in this way. We hung around the apartment until lunchtime, and then we went to the rink to watch the men's short program. The men were definitely worth watching - lots of good programs, including some very good performances by the first two Americans. But Ilia Malinin, the third American to go, shut the whole thing down - I have not been following skating for awhile, but I now know why he calls himself the "quad god" and why it's deserved. The final should be great, but there's much more skating to come before we get there.

After the men, Sherry and I dashed back to the Airbnb to eat dinner. I didn't want leftovers, so I stopped by whole foods and grabbed some sushi, which I paired with some cottage cheese to get more protein for the night ahead. Then we went back to the rink to catch the pairs final.

We missed the first couple of groups, but  we saw the last twelve pairs to go, and they were generally pretty lovely. However, many of them had at least some mistakes, which always makes it slightly less fun. The best program of the night was from zee Germans, who were almost flawless - not enough to catch the Japanese pair, but enough for silver. The Italians took bronze, so it was a v. Axis podium, but at this point we're probably more of a threat to world peace than the former Axis powers, so I guess I don't begrudge them this minor victory.

And now I need to sleep so we can watch more skating tomorrow - goodnight!

there ain't nothin' safe in this world

I had another great day of figure skating (or rather, consumption of figure skating). It was, quite possibly, a little too much - I was at the skating rink for something like 10-12 hours today, since we watched some of the pairs' official practice, then the women's short program, then the pairs' short program. This was a lot of skating, but there were some truly lovely routines (and, of course, the usual random heartbreaks since a missed edge or bobble can change the whole trajectory of someone's final score).

The saddest part of the day was the tribute they did for the skaters who died in the airplane crash when their jet crashed into a military helicopter a couple of months ago. Several of them were affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston, and many others were also in the skating community, so it was quite a powerful moment (and heartbreaking to see photos of the kids who died, many of whom had just been competing/training that weekend).

I would tell you more, but I'm very tired and think there's a possibility that I'm getting sick, so I'm going to save the commentary and go to bed. Goodnight!

don't you know that you're toxic

The first day of figure skating was a good way to ease into the whole week of competition. Today was all the official practice sessions, which Sherry and I have tickets for. We did not go to the ice dancing practice that started at six am because we're not masochists; instead, I woke up in a fairly leisurely way and Sherry made us kimchi pancakes, which were pretty tasty.

Getting to the arena was easy - we're only one stop away on the subway, so we got there with zero issues. We saw most of the pairs' practice, and it was fun to watch - and odd to see so many skaters on the ice, especially since they played each pairs' free skate song once, which meant one pair doing their routine while the others all skated around them.

So I watched a bunch of that, but then I ducked out to take a couple of work calls. Yes I'm on vacation, but since I was just missing some practice sessions, I decided to make it easier on myself later by keeping up with some stuff now. And all the meetings were with Adit, so it wasn't a big sacrifice. Also, today was my one year anniversary of starting this job, which seems impossible. They usually send treats for anniversaries, but since I live somewhere with no food delivery (and am in Boston anyway) they sent me a gift card for a mani/pedi at my favorite place in Des Moines. As far as jobs go, this one is a good one.

After, Sherry and I took a break from skating and came back to the Airbnb, where I chilled while she made jambalaya. Then she decided to go back and watch some of the men's practice, but at that point I decided that I would rather go to bed early - which didn't mean right away, but did mean taking a shower and then doing a thing I had to do for work so that I can get it off my back and watch all the competition tomorrow. I was successful with all those goals, and I'm in bed and ready to sleep at 11:15, so hopefully I keep up with this virtuous plan. Goodnight!

ridin' high when i was king, i played it hard and fast cause i had everything

I had a v. v. hermity day despite being in a new city - the event that I'm in Boston for doesn't start until tomorrow, and so Sherry and I both worked today. I was not feeling in it to win it - I'm usually quite productive on the day before a vacation, but because I'm already at my destination it feels like I should already be offline, and I was surly about having to do stuff. It didn't help that it rained all day - which was perhaps good for feeling like I wasn't missing anything outside, but certainly didn't help my energy.

But still, I survived the day and got a few tings done, so I'll take it. Then I ran to Whole Foods, grabbed some groceries, and made the sausage / swiss chard / parmesan pasta that I sometimes like to make. Sherry seemed to really like it, and it was good to carb load before a competition (even if that probably isn't a requirement for audience members the way it is for athletes). We talked about many and varied tings, and I journaled for awhile, and then I was going to go to bed but decided to do one more work thing instead.

And now, I really am going to go to sleep - goodnight!

I saw the solstice, the service station on the road

I am safely ensconced in Boston, for reasons that will become clear over the course of this week. Today went as smoothly as one could hope - I got to Des Moines in time to grab a v rushed omelette (and a mimosa) before boarding a flight to LaGuardia. My flight landed early, so I had time to get a Caesar salad with salmon before catching the v quick flight to Boston. My bags also came quickly, and the Uber wait was fine, so I arrived at the Airbnb earlier than the earliest possible time I'd anticipated. 

I beat my friend Sherry here by twenty minutes, so I dropped my stuff (up a very steep, very narrow half spiraling staircase - which made me glad that I repacked this morning to split my stuff into two lighter bags, because I might not have made it up the stairs with one 50-lb suitcase). I grabbed Starbucks to reenergize myself, and then I greeted Sherry.

We had a v lovely evening - we haven't seen each other since 2019 (the beforetimes) so we had much to discuss. We also walked around the corner to whole foods to pick up a few things, and then Sherry made dinner (some vegetables and a v tasty tomato and tofu soup that I would happily eat again). I did some chilling and some journaling and some talking after dinner, all of which was great. And I'm fully unpacked and ready for the week ahead.

But now it's time to sleep - goodnight!

without you, beside you, but you knew what i knew

I have nothing of interest to report today - my headache was mostly gone, although it's started to come back in the last hour (probably because I should have gone to bed). I got up early and went into town to get allergy shots, which was an accomplishment. Then I came home and slogged for several hours, but it all went fine. At some point I checked in on the end of the Iowa State March Madness game (we won handily). I also took a power nap since I have not been getting enough sleep the last few nights. Then I continued working until it was time to stop.

After work, I made some chicken with mushrooms in a creamy parmesan sauce to eat with all the leftover mashed potatoes that I made the other night. This was pretty tasty, and [censored] and I really enjoyed it. Then I spent way too long scrolling on my phone while half-watching Family Guy with [censored], and then I finally came upstairs, folded laundry, dealt with some minor tasks, contemplated my packing list, etc.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

show me how in old milano lovers hold each other, oh so tight

The headache I had last night continued unabated today - I didn't sleep particularly well, woke up with a crushing headache, and felt incapable of doing anything. So, I mostly didn't do anything - I lounged around waiting for ibuprofen and then excedrin migraine to kick in, and neither really did.

I canceled most of my meetings and continued to be mostly decrepit for most of the day. I did dial into a few things as the day wore on - I showered and changed into fresh sweats for the occasion, but I left my camera off for half of them. The other half were with Adit and other people whom I don't mind seeing me looking bedraggled.

By 7pm I was starting to feel a little better, although I still didn't feel like eating much. That meant dinner was as bland as possible (tortilla chips and cottage cheese), so we'll see how I'm feeling in the morning. I also talked to [censored] and watched the end of the Drake/Mizzou game, which ended in Drake's favor (exciting since they haven't won an NCAA first-round tournament game since the 1970s).

Then, sadly, I had work that I absolutely had to get done since I didn't do it last night. I used my second wind to work for the last three hours, which was good for my job security and potentially bad for my headache. And now I need to go to bed immediately - goodnight!

adrenaline keeps you in the game

I have had a v v busy couple of days. I got up and wrote for a bit this morning before work, which felt good until I suddenly didn't have time to shower or eat lunch because I was too overscheduled. Some of this was my own doing - I had invited Heidi and Sammi over to discuss some library stuff, and I'd also offered to make dinner. So I threw some beef barbacoa in the slow cooker before beginning my afternoon rush of meetings, and I also paused early to do a speed clean of the living room. 

But the meeting went well, and then we had a v nice dinner, which [censored] joined us for. Sammi stuck around for quite awhile after, which was nice. And then I should have worked, but I have a pretty bad headache and didn't get much done. So I'm going to sleep and attempt to get up early tomorrow - goodnight!

come home late in the morning light

It was a v. typical Monday - I woke up, made coffee and journaled a bit, slogged relentlessly for a couple of hours, took a shower, and had a meeting. Then I sped into town for allergy shots - I reacted a bit to them, but it was not bad. Then I came home, immediately jumped on more meetings, and worked until I could do no more.

Then I spent some time cleaning out the fridge and gathering trash from my bedroom and office so that [censored] could dispose of it in the parents' dumpster. After that, I sat on my balcony and wrote for thirty minutes, which felt great. Then I made fresh spaghetti to go with last night's spaghetti sauce. While that was cooking, I jarred up the rest of it, so now [censored] and I have five jars of sauce for future suppers.

After dinner was ready, [censored] and I ate while watching some Big Bang Theory reruns. And now, I need to unwind - goodnight!

don't you miss the breathlessness, the wildness in the eye?

I was fairly productive today, all in all - I actually wrote for an hour in the morning and another hour before dinner and another thirty minutes or so before bed, which was v. nice. I also did a bunch of laundry, got groceries, and made a triple batch of Grandma Barb's spaghetti sauce. You may recall that I don't have a grandma named Barb, but I found a recipe online for a spaghetti sauce made my someone else's Grandma Barb, and the sauce is a winner. A triple batch is almost nine quarts, which means [censored] and I ate a ton of spaghetti tonight and will have more tomorrow, and then we'll have several jars of sauce in the freezer for future rainy days.

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

come get lost in a fairground crowd

I was falling asleep and almost skipped blogging, but skipping two in a row feels bad, so I guess I'll wake up long enough to do this. Yesterday was long but productive - I got up early and did a few tings, and then I sped to Des Moines for a couple of appointments. I was overdue for botox in my jaw, and since I was starting to clench again I was getting more headaches. Luckily my new job is way less annoying than my last one, so I was able to go nine months between injections instead of four - but eventually I need help from my little neurotoxin friends.

So, I got my injections very quickly and mostly painlessly. Then I did some work from a coffee shop, ran a couple of errands, and grabbed a quick lunch. I also got my hair cut while I was in Des Moines, which turned out well. And then I normally would have worked some more before grabbing groceries, but the weather forecast for yesterday afternoon was wild. So I drove straight home, put my car in the garage, and joined a video meeting at work. Within twenty minutes of getting home, the winds picked up - and while we didn't get hail or any other real damage, I was v. glad not to be driving in 60+ mph winds.

I spent the rest of last night working / eating random frozen foods in lieu of cooking / talking to [censored] / messing around. I managed to get up at a reasonable hour this morning, and I spent most of the day being productive (shocking, I know). I finished my closet cleanout project today - I still need to haul a bunch of stuff to the basement or make some donations, but it feels good to be organized going into spring.

This afternoon, I picked up my dad and we drove around for awhile. I think he was in it for the promise of donuts more than anything, but we had a good time. After I dropped him off, I caught up on reddit for awhile, then finished cleaning up my room. [Censored] and I picked up Mexican takeout and took it out to Mom and Dad's, where we had a nice time eating while catching the end of the Big 12 championship game. And then I came upstairs with the intention of working, but other than refilling a fountain pen, I mostly read / dozed until waking myself up to write this.

And in tonight's bad news report - Trump shut down Voice of America and defunded Radio Free Europe / Radio Free Asia (and also shut down a bunch of other agencies, including the one that funds state libraries). This is likely at least partially illegal since VOA is part of an independent agency created by Congress, but Trump's gonna Trump when it comes to ignoring the Constitution's well-defined separation of powers. Personally, I'm pretty sad - I listened of Voice of America for an entire year when we lived in Ukraine, so I have more personal nostalgia for it than most Americans.

I suppose you could argue that radio isn't that important anymore - although VOA/RFE/RFA still have ~380million weekly listeners. And I would buy the argument to stop funding this and invest in better methods of spreading America's message globally... if we hadn't also completely gutted USAID, betrayed Ukraine, are likely to leave NATO, launched a series of confusing and likely disastrous tariffs and started trade wars with our closest allies, etc., etc. But again, Trump's gonna Trump, and we'll be picking up the pieces for a very long time.

And now, goodnight!

alien in utero

I did not blog yesterday because I was tired of keeping up with the day - I slogged incessantly, then had a library board meeting, then ran home for dinner, and then had peo, which was a lot of stuff.

Today was somewhat similar, but way more chill - I got up and worked for a couple of hours, then went into town for an economic development board meeting followed by a meeting with the old mural festival group to discuss the ongoing topic of repairing one of the murals. Those both went well, although it's clear that I will never fully get out of somehow being responsible for these murals. I guess that's fine? I should probably do more with them, but that's an issue for another day. 

When I got home, it was over seventy degrees and very pleasant out, so I spent the afternoon working while sitting on my balcony. It's disconcertingly early in the year for a balcony work session, but I'm excited to kick off the season. I sat out there until basically dark, at which point [censored] got home. So I came inside, cleaned up the kitchen, reheated some leftover tofu, and caught up with [censored].

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

pnd life went on beyond the palisades, they all bought cadillacs and left there long ago

I have nothing interesting to report today - I had a much better day than yesterday, and was far more productive, so at least there's that. It helped that I slept until the point that I wanted to instead of having to get up early - I made some coffee and got to work quickly, and managed to knock off some tasks that I'd been putting off. I had some meetings in the early afternoon, and then I went into town and got allergy shots. Then I came home, worked a bit, said farewell to [censored], did some housework, and then worked some more.

At some point I took a break from the laptop and took advantage of [censored]'s departure to make myself a tofu stirfry with brown rice while listening to an audiobook. I folded some laundry, cleaned my room, and got ready for my various volunteer meetings coming up while watching some of Seth Meyers' recent shows. And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

undercover russians in a pink rolls royce

I did not get up early enough to get on track with the time change - staying up late last night was a real mistake, but I'm glad I got stuff done. And today went well despite starting already off the rails. I managed to write a bit after I made coffee, which felt great. And then I spent the day doing a variety of tasks - I took care of some online tasks, did three loads of laundry, washed and changed my sheets, and continued my attempt to reorganize my closets (which has now also spread to reorganizing the basement).

At some point, I took a walk downtown to pay all the myriad water bills that [censored] and I are responsible for. This felt risky since the railroad has been doing a lot of work and periodically blocking the crossings in town, and I would have been unhappy to be stuck on foot on the other side. But the weather was nice, and the walk ended up worth the risk.

Then I came home, put a chicken in the oven to roast, and carried on with my wardrobe shenanigans until dinner. The chicken turned out quite well, although I should have made gravy to go with it. [Censored] and I ate it while watching last night's SNL with Lady Gaga - they really leaned into the quirkiness of their guest, and the sketches were all a little bonkers, which I enjoyed.

And now, I need to force myself to go to bed (even though 11:13 on a normal night feels early, and it's very early if it feels like 10:13) - I have a v. unusual 8am meeting tomorrow, which means I have to be fully dressed and functional before I usually have to even get up for work. Wish me luck with that (and yes, I know I get v. little sympathy for the fact that I don't have to get up before 8am on normal days). Goodnight!

she's so good with her geppetto, you don't really mind the pain

I had an okay day - not as productive as I'd intended, but it could have been worse. I did some house stuff, some journaling stuff, and some reorganizing of my closets (after putting up my new mirror), so that was all good. I also went to the grocery store so that I could cook tonight.

Tonight's menu was tater tot casserole, which I took out to Mom and Dad's to share with them (and [censored] because I'm not a monster). We hung out there for awhile, which was nice. Then I came home, cleaned up the kitchen, read Reddit for a bit, and then did another couple of hours of closet stuff. This will probably screw up my attempt to adjust to daylight saving time, but we'll see. Goodnight!

how'd you find a party when you're in your room

I did not blog yesterday because v. little happened - I worked all day and had meetings until 6:45pm, and then I made quesadillas for me and [censored]. The quesadillas were decent because they were filled with chicken taco meat that I'd made in the slow cooker over the course of the afternoon, but that was about as much effort as I could muster to feed myself before it was time to retire for the night.

Today was a little more of the same - I woke up and worked all day (with a brief break to talk to Natasha, who was a delight) but then I slacked off at 4pm because [censored] and I decided to make a mad dash to Des Moines to run some errands. I wanted to get some plastic tubs for storing clothes, and also a cheap mirror so that I can see my outfits in the comfort of the second story of my house rather than having to go up and down the stairs to check myself in the only current mirror, which is in [censored]'s bathroom. The lack of a mirror in my bedroom has been a challenge since I moved in, and it's especially challenging when I'm getting ready for trips and need to pack outfits that look better than my usual sweatshirt and leggings.

[Censored] also had a couple of tings to pick up based on some weekend sales, and so we swung through Theisen's, then went to Menards, Harbor Freight, and Target. I would have potentially bought fruit trees at Menards, but we weren't really equipped for that. But I did get everything on my list, as did [censored], and we made it through those stores in record time. Then we treated ourselves to Johnny's instead of McDonald's, which was certainly more expensive but much less gluten-filled (for me; [censored] ate all the gluten on my behalf). My prime rib was perfect and my baked potato and glass of wine were great, although neither of us were particularly fond of the caesar salad. But we lived to tell about it (which was somewhat in doubt, since [censored] is allergic to spinach and some of the leaves looked questionable), and we made it home without issue.

And now that I've accomplished more than I do some weekends, it's time for bed - goodnight!

chicken in the bread pan picking out dough

I had another day of slogging - which is, I suppose, what I get paid for. I spent the morning working in my pajamas while drinking coffee and listening to techno and burning one of my favorite candles, so that got me off on the right foot. I works have liked to have done that all day, but I had meetings most of the afternoon, which harshed my mellow, as the kids used to say a couple of decades ago.

By seven I was done with meetings, and [censored] came back early due to the weather (we had high winds all day and would have had a blizzard if we'd gotten more snow). So I reheated frozen soup for him and chana masala for me. And then I read a bit of a book, scrolled a bit, and got ready for bed. Goodnight!

so here's the thing

Today was a long and brutal slog, but I managed to survive despite way too many meetings and way too much time looking at my own not-made-up-enough-to-cover-the-ravages-of-age face.

After my meetings were over, I took a quick break to run some errands - I grabbed groceries, dropped some hamburger off for the play, and put my dad's dumpster inside so it wouldn't blow away in tonight's gales. Then I came home and made chana masala for dinner since [censored] isn't here to judge. It turned out super well - I used a spice packet that was intended for chicken tikka masala, but I instead put in a couple cans of chickpeas and some tomatoes, which made for a very tasty, extremely easy, and almost authentic-tasting dish.

Then I alternated between relaxing and working, and now it's time for bed - goodnight!

miles from budapest

I did not blog yesterday because I was too tired, which means I have to blog today, which is unfortunate because I'm also too tired. Yesterday was fine, though - I had a v. smooth, uneventful return to ye olde Iowa. I wasn't even the slightest bit hungover from seeing Katie (probably because we were very sedate and didn't end the evening with multiple espresso martinis like we did the last time we saw each other), and the hotel had a reasonably nice continental breakfast. And my uber driver was, v. oddly and coincidentally, the same uber driver who picked me up at the Denver airport on Thursday.

I got to the airport early enough to grab lunch before boarding my flight. I worked during most of my airport time + most of my plane time, and then I drove home just in time to make it before dark. When I got here, [censored] and I decided to grab Mexican food, and we also got a couple of groceries so that I can survive the week. Then I actually unpacked everything (fastest I've ever put away my luggage in my entire life, I think), which took it out of me.

Today was all slogging - I had a million things to do since I didn't do much actually work Thursday and Friday. So I slogged from 9:30ish to 6:30ish, with a couple of breaks in between. At some point I said goodbye to [censored], and I also took a 10min nap before my 5:30 meeting that saved me. When I was done with meetings, I took a break, made a frozen pizza, journaled a bit, and caught up on Reddit. Then, sadly, I still needed to do more work - which I did off and on for the past three hours while also watching some Seth Meyers in the background.

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

olalla

I had a v low-key day that ended in the best way. I woke up and did some journaling while drinking free hotel coffee and looking out over downtown Denver, and the sunlight was good for my mood. Then I showered and packed up - I had to switch hotels this morning, which was pretty disruptive. But luckily my room was ready at my new hotel when I arrived at 11:30, so it could have been worse.

Upon checking in I discovered that this is the oldest hotel in Denver and they still use actual keys (on keychains!), which is bizarre. The room smells like ghosts or maybe mold, but otherwise it's quite nice. There's also a stuffed peacock with a full tail of feathers mounted in the stairwell, which makes me think I need one of those (living or dead, but if living it can't be housed in my staircase).

So I got safely ensconced in my new hotel and unpacked some clothes that I had packed half an hour earlier. Then I had a tasty omelette in the hotel restaurant. I was going to go to Cherry Creek and do some damage to my wallet by buying stuff, but I wasn't in the mood to spend frivolously since I can't wear cute clothes during WWIII anyway. Instead, I wandered around the downtown area, got some sun, and took a nap. 

Finally, I changed and walked over to LoHi to meet Katie for drinks and dinner. The walk itself was nice - about thirty minutes, over the Platte River (and the interstate, which is less scenic), and still sunny even though it was starting to cool off. 

Katie and I started at Williams and Graham, which is a speakeasy style bar hidden in what looks like a bookstore. Their drinks are great, although we avoided the weirdest ones (which involved asparagus, or goat cheese, or other ingredients that I prefer not to drink). I had rum (a Queen's Park swizzle) followed by whisky, which is not usually a good idea, but rum and whisky felt v appropriate for discussing how disastrous it is to be a federal employee right now. 

We caught up on like for the full two hours of our reservation at the bar, and then we walked down the street to Bar Dough, where we spent another two hours continuing the convo with some excellent pasta (gf gnocchi for me). It had been far too long since I'd seen Katie, and it will be far too long until I see her again, but our evening was just as great as always despite the heavy subject matter.

And now, I'm already in bed and it's time to sleep - goodnight!

they just keep on looking to the east

I had a decent, slightly chaotic day - I was at the first event that I had to help out with a little before 7 am, and I did events stuff straight until 5. They all went well and I got a v nice free sweatshirt from one of them, but it meant I didn't get much other stuff done.

So I holed up in my hotel room and was going to work/relax, but I was too upset by the latest wrecking balls to national security and global democracy - Trump berated Zelensky in a press conference and made it clear that he's going to support Russia and abandon helping Ukraine and Europe in the defense against Russia's ambitions. This was in the same week that the US voted against a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine - joining only Russia, Belarus, North Korea (an illustrious set of allies!), and a dozen other small countries in pretending that Russia wasn't the aggressor. Europe and Canada can see very clearly now that they shouldn't trust us, and it seems the only countries this might actually help are Russia and China, because it certainly doesn't help us.

And then the President of the United States tweeted tonight about how he's going to pardon Pete Rose posthumously (for tax evasion - he can't pardon him for the betting that got him banned from baseball) and said baseball needs to get off their "fat, lazy asses" and induct Rose into the Hall of Fame. Nice to see we're pardoning tax evasion while supposedly cracking down on fraud.

But if you prefer not to get upset about global politics or stupid tweets, maybe you can instead get upset that DOGE fired an estimated 1300 NOAA employees yesterday, including a bunch of forecasters at NWS local offices, just as we head into tornado season. The National Weather Service was already considered understaffed, and cutting thousands more isn't going to help. Taking a sledgehammer to the most basic and important functions of the government can be done in a day, but will take years to recover from - if we're able to recover, which I have some doubts about.

My bet is that they'll screw up every agency with indiscriminate cuts, use the resulting chaos to claim those agencies are incompetent, privatize them, and the taxpayer will either pay vastly more for less (see: increasing postage costs with decreasing service) or not have service at all. This is the classic private equity playbook playing out with critical government functions, and we're all going to suffer for it.

And on that note, I'm going to bed.

three or four degrees

I made it to Denver after the smoothest possible trip - I did leave the house 25 min later than I should have, but I still had time for breakfast at the Des Moines airport before flying out. I my dozed must of the way, and then took a meeting from a comfortable chair at the airport before heading into the city.

The rest of the day was good - I chatted up the desk staff at the hotel, and then I picked up a poke bowl before slogging through meetings and varied tings. The day ended with a private dinner related to my job, which went quite tasty and fun. And now I need to go to sleep immediately since I have an event at 7 am - goodnight!

you push mе in circles to the edgе of the earth

Today was a mad scramble - I'm leaving tomorrow for a v. abbreviated work trip to Denver, and I had to do a million things today to get ready. When I woke up, I wrote for a tiny bit of time, and then I finalized a program that I had to give tonight at my PEO meeting. Then I did some work, showered, had a meeting, and sped into town to get allergy shots so I wouldn't get too far behind on them.

Things were so hectic thereafter that I had to talk to Adit on the phone while I drove home, where I dove straight into four hours of meetings. I was fortunately able to grab some cottage cheese as I ran upstairs, and one meeting ended early enough for me to make a sandwich, but it was all touch and go. However, I survived. And then as soon as I was done working, I started packing - luckily I'd thought about outfits last night, and I made a list that was sufficiently strict so that I could avoid checking a bag. This should be easy peasy for a three-night trip, but I do like to have many outfit options, so I feel quite proud of myself for how minimally I packed.

I didn't quite finish packing before I had to eat some dinner and speed into town for my meeting. It was all good, and my program was fine (it was about writing, which I theoretically know something about even though I have little to show for it recently), and then we sat around and ate snacks. Then I came home, finished packing, removed the last bits of gel polish from my nails, trimmed my bangs, watered the plants, and generally got fully ready to go.

And now, I need to go to bed - all that I have to do in the morning is shower, make coffee, and grab my makeup and glasses. But I have to do all of that early enough to get out the door by 6am, which is a v. unwelcome time for me to leave the house. So it's definitely time for bed - goodnight!

breezeblocks

I had a long day of slogging today, as per usual. Happily I had leftovers so I didn't have to worry about food; [censored] and I both had leftover chili for lunch and leftover chicken and rice for dinner, which was a delight. Sadly the dinner happened while watching the start of an abysmal Iowa State basketball game, and I didn't stick around to watch more because I had tings to do. 

Unfortunately I also have to do a million things tomorrow, so I'm going to bail on this early and go to bed - goodnight!

i'm going to wichita, far from this opera forevermore

Today was the usual Monday slog - I got up fairly early (for me) and did a bit of writing before work, which felt good. Then I had a variety of tasks and meetings all day, as per usual. One meeting ran way over, so I turned my camera off so that I could go to the kitchen and throw together some chicken and rice and slip it into the oven before my next meeting. This was key, since it takes two hours to cook and I wanted to eat before eight p.m.

As it turns out, it took closer to two and a half. I managed to find some bone-in skin-on chicken breasts the last time I was at whole foods, which are seemingly impossible to find around here. This is how the chicken and rice casserole of my youth was made, so I was excited to try it. And the result was excellent, although the breasts were too large and so it took a long time to get to the right temp. But it was #worthit and I'll have to buy the entire stock of bone-in breasts next time I see them. 

While we were eating, [censored] and I watched the SNL concert from last weekend. It was a mixed bag and my least favorite of the 50th anniversary shows, but still entertaining (and Cher is still incredibly hot even though she's 78). We also discovered that the B-52s are contemporaries of Snoop Dogg, which we didn't know - somehow "Love Shack" seems like it came out much earlier than 1989.

But now that I have imparted all this wisdom to you, it's time for bed - goodnight!

you in the sea, on a decline, breaking the waves

I had an unusual weekend, but it ended well. Yesterday I woke up at the absurd hour of 5:45am so that I could brew some coffee and make myself look presentable before joining [censored] on an early drive to Kansas City. We went there to attend visitation for the wife of Gram's cousin Jimmy (who I'm guessing most people call Jim, but eighty-four-year habits die hard). We saw Jimmy somewhat regularly as kids because we used to have family reunions on that side of the family, but I hadn't seen him since Gram's funeral in 2019.

So, we decided that we would drive down to pay our respects. We only went to the visitation, which was probably odd since we'd driven so far - but we didn't want to stay all day, which we suspected would happen if we stayed for the funeral, since it would transition into lunch. We talked to Jimmy for about as long as one can talk to someone in a receiving line, and he said how much fun he always had roller skating with Gram, which I'm sure was true. We also talked to his brother Tom, and then to some of the other cousins (Terry and Sheila, and Geoff and Lynn), and then we snuck out the back as the funeral was starting.

I'm really glad we went, but it was a long morning - we were back home by 12:45pm, and I had high hopes of getting tings done, but instead I took a long nap and got v. little done. I did make chili, which felt like an accomplishment. But I went to bed feeling v. lethargic and unenthused...

...so I woke up this morning determined to have a better day. I mostly succeeded - I stayed off my phone until well after lunch, and I got some good journaling / writing done this morning. I also got groceries, did some stretching, walked downtown to pay my gas bill and inspect some mural stuff, and wrote a bit more. I ended the day by making cheeseburgers and french fries, which were not the best (the burgers were pretty good, but the fries I bought were somehow not great). Then I spent the rest of the evening doing a bit more work, and now I'm ready to call it a night. Goodnight!

can music save your mortal soul

I had a long-ish day - not that it was bad, it was just unusual. I took my parents to Des Moines so my dad could see his cardiologist, which meant three hours of driving, thirty-ish minutes in a waiting room, an appointment, some detour through the 'gift shop', and then a stop at McDonald's where I definitely gluten'd myself because I really wanted chicken nuggets as a reward (they were #worthit and usually don't make me feel bad anyway, which makes me question whether the breading is as fake as the meat).

So anyway, the appointment went fine, and while it was way too cold outside, at least the sun was out for the drive. When we got home, I vegged for a little bit, took a shower, and then ended up trapped into a two-hour discussion about finances and taxes with Adit and the finance person. This was supposed to take thirty minutes, but instead dragged on until 6:30, which was my limit for discussing taxes other than my own.

By that point I was hungry, so I reheated last night's pasta and supplemented it (since there wasn't enough for me and [censored]) with a package of gluten free gnocchi and a jar of pasta sauce as a second dish. I ordered the gnocchi awhile ago and hadn't tried it yet, but I was pleasantly surprised - it tasted pretty good, and since it boils in less than three minutes, it makes for a fast dinner. The jarred pasta sauce was also good, although it would be better if I added sausage (that's what she said). But for a ten minute meal it was pretty winning.

Then I sat around and procrastinated, and then I came upstairs and just did half an hour of work that I could no longer put off. And now I need to go to sleep immediately - goodnight!

clearest blue

I was probably slightly too leisurely this morning, but I got up and did some excellent journaling/writing before work, which made me happy. Then I showered and slogged for a bit before running into town for an economic development board meeting. This morphed into a meeting about murals that I'd called with a slightly different group of people - one of the murals was damaged due to wind and we have to figure out what to do about it. This will probably not be the most fun thing to deal with, but at least we have the money to fix it, so it could be worse.

After that, I came home and had meetings off and on until almost seven. Then I made a v tasty pasta with Italian sausage and Swiss chard, which perhaps I should call alpine pasta due to the names of the ingredients. [Censored] even likes it despite the not-standard-for-Iowa ingredients (there are no tomatoes, but there is lemon zest).

And then I cleaned up the kitchen, did a couple of work things, messed around online, etc. Goodnight!

in a screaming ring of faces i seen her standing in the light

I had another day of slogging - not as intense as yesterday, but more intense than I would have preferred. I got up and had time to make coffee, journal, and shower before my unusual ten am meeting - unusual bc I almost never have meetings before eleven, but this meeting was with someone on the east coast, and it was great to do it before my day got bogged down.

So anyway, I worked until seven, and then I started cooking supper. This was not an exciting meal (gf chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries) but it was a tasty one. At some point [censored] showed up and we talked for awhile. And now I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

cold as ice

No blog tonight - I slogged through a million meetings today, and I need to stop looking at my phone and go to bed. Goodnight!

scared straight

Apologies for not blogging last night - yesterday was a whirlwind because I got up to bid Sarah farewell as she continued her journey west, and then I talked to [censored] for awhile before taking a nap.

Then I sped for Des Moines just to do a grocery run - I was low on meat, especially chicken, and I decided a Whole Foods trip was in order. It was pretty cold for a road trip, but not as cold as it was today, so it was worth it. When I got home, I took care of something at my dad's shop, and then [censored] and I watched the SNL 50th anniversary show. It was quite funny, all in all - there were a couple of skits that I didn't love, but for the most part they were bangers.

Today was much calmer - I had the day off, and it was snowing all day, which made me quite lazy. I did some journaling / writing this morning, and then I spent a bit of time this afternoon at my parents' house since I didn't see them over the weekend. Their driveway was nearly drifted shut, but I made it in and out without issues, which was fortunate. I didn't get as much done the rest of the day as I intended, but that's okay - I did make some soup and listen to an audiobook, and I did a bit more writing tonight, so I'll take it.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

the man who stole the world

I had an excellent day all in all..I got decent sleep, and then I had a v leisurely morning with coffee and chatter. Then I showered before making sweet potato hash for Sarah and [censored].

After we ate, I took Sarah on an abbreviated tour of the local murals - we saw twelve, so it wasn't that abbreviated, but since it was cold we mostly did this as a drive by. Then we came home and I made some chocolate chip chewies, which are always desirable. We also ordered pizza, which [censored] kindly picked up. 

Then we spent an unusual amount of time watching TV - Sarah wanted to watch the writers guild of America awards since she's been getting into screenwriting and is a member of the WGA, and when that finished we ended up watching a long but excellent documentary about 50 years of SNL music. That was a really well done documentary, and I'm glad we watched it.

And now I must sleep - goodnight!

guess all the mystique only works in your prime

Today ended on an unusual note, which I shall explain momentarily. It started off fairly normally - I got up (later than intended), made some coffee, and then sped into town to get allergy shots. Then I came home and attempted to get a bunch of day job stuff done, with varying degrees of success. I also did a bit of house stuff, also with varying degrees of success.

So I slogged until fourish, and then I stopped for the unusual note: my friend Vivi arrived for a quick visit in the midst of her drive across the country. Her real name is actually Sarah, but I met her many years ago when I was a baby writer and she was writing as Vivi then, so that was what I called her first. I always used to see her at conferences, and she also stayed with me in SF and Boulder at various points, but I shockingly haven't seen her since 2018 (thanks to the pandemic + the complete breakdown of RWA leading to the end of conferences). So I'm delighted that she swung through my neck of the woods on her way to Seattle.

After Sarah arrived, I immediately plied her with bourbon, and we hung out in the kitchen until it was time for dinner. Luckily I remembered to start the rice cooker on time, and then I made salmon teriyaki and broccoli (which was pretty good, if I do say so myself). We had a v. long and lovely chat until it was clearly bedtime for both Sarah and [censored] - at which point I came upstairs, got my usual second wind, and so am wrapping up at 12:30am as I usually do.

And on that note, I should sleep so that I can get up and hang out tomorrow - goodnight!

i can't ignore the crazy visions of me in LA

I've been slogging, or attempting to slog, pretty relentlessly the past couple of days - I say attempting to slog because I had a headache off and on and wasn't feeling in it, but I have still crossed some things off my list. Yesterday we also got several inches of snow, which was pretty to watch, but the cold doesn't make me any more enthused about getting things done. 

Today was otherwise fine, though - I worked all day, and then had a library board meeting, which I was able to get to because [censored] kindly cleared the driveway. Then I came home and ate leftover chicken tortilla soup that I made last night. [Censored] also introduced me to the Liberty Mutual commercials featuring Limu Emu and Doug, which I had somehow never seen, and for some reason we went v deep on them. They were oddly hilarious, although I don't think I'll switch insurance anytime soon. 

Then I spent some time prepping the guest room because I have a friend arriving tomorrow, and now I need to sleep - goodnight!

it's snowing in baltimore, fifteen miles east

My day was almost entirely consumed by work - I've been grinding in an attempt to get caught up after vacation, with mixed results. But work went fine, so I have no complaints. I also did a v. minor amount of prepping for tomorrow's snow - I went to my dad's shop to drag his dumpster inside, and I got my car into my garage. I'll be curious to see how much snow we get tomorrow, and I'm hoping that the snowy conditions don't impact my mood as negatively as cloudy conditions do.

I took a long break around dinnertime to talk to Katie - we hadn't caught up in awhile, so we chatted for about an hour. As we talked, I prepped dinner, which required a lot of knife work, which felt appropriate for the subjects of conversation. I made a sheet pan full of roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, red onions, and chicken, along with a dijon/maple syrup/balsamic/olive oil marinade, and it turned out great. I've made it before, but it's been a minute, and this is a good meal to prep ahead and then freeze for Future Sara.

So after we got off the phone, I ate a serving of the chicken/veggies and relaxed for a bit. At some point [censored] showed up - [censored] never comes back on Tuesdays, but given tomorrow's conditions, it was probably wise. We talked for awhile, and then I came upstairs and worked off and on until now. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

are you my friend? are we locked in?

I had a very focused day of work activities, spurred partially by having more to do than I could get done, and also by the fact that Mondays tend to be meeting heavy. But all in all I was pleased with what I did manage to get done, and I have high hopes for tomorrow (although with fewer meetings I often tend to sabotage myself, so hopefully I can avoid that fate).

I had to end slightly early because I had an unusual 6pm Monday meeting. My secret society usually meets on Wednesdays, but tonight we had a joint social/meeting with the Corydon chapter. Of course, I know most of them as well - they're heavy on teachers and former teachers, so there were many familiar faces. It was fun to hang out with them; less fun to move into a standard business meeting, but I survived.

Then I grabbed a couple of tings at the grocery store, came home, took care of a few personal tasks, should have worked, and instead caught up on Reddit. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

a minor

I had a much more productive day than yesterday - still not maximally productive, but I'll take it. I spent the morning doing some writing/journaling and various other tasks, and then I decided to go to Walmart as it's the nearest purveyor of okay produce (can't get Swiss chard or mint, but can get limes and Brussels sprouts, so I'm calling it a win).

When I got home, I dropped a couple of things at my parents' house, and then I came home, put away groceries, relaxed fit a bit, and then continued to do tasks. Eventually I turned on the super bowl, which was already on progress - I missed the beginning of the shellacking, but I certainly saw the middle and end. While I'm nominally pro-Chiefs, I'm more pro-Niners, and so this was somewhat satisfying to watch after I saw them beat the 49ers last year (at a party in the SF area, which made it even worse).

But I wasn't actually that invested, so I watched while doing various tings on my laptop. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

denial is a river

I had a pretty annoying and ineffective day - I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, and I spent too much time buried in my phone while ignoring my to-do list. I did manage to finish unpacking from my California trip and put things away, do some laundry, etc, so at least there's that.

I ended the day with dinner with the parents and [censored] at our usual prime rib place, which was nice. Then we came home, and I continued to do very little, and now it's time for bed. Hopefully this means I got the Sunday scaries out of the way early and can focus tomorrow - we shall see. Goodnight!

the weather ain't been bad if you're into masochistic bullshit

I have nothing noteworthy to share - I woke up this morning after not nearly enough sleep, and then I slogged all day. Luckily my meetings were all good, and I remembered that I could have tuna salad on toast for lunch, so things definitely could have been worse.

When I was finally done with meetings, I ran to the grocery store to get a few tings, and then I made a shrimp and andouille pasta that I haven't made in quite some time. It turned out well, and [censored] and I ate it while watching two episodes of Stargate (the 90s called to get their TV back, but they got a busy tone). And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

house so empty, need a centerpiece

I am back in ye olde Iowa and back to the grind. Yesterday was a whirlwind, which was partially colored by the fact that I had two to-go margaritas on the last night of the retreat (Anne and I had the stunning realization that we could order margaritas before dinner and then get more margaritas for dinner itself since the Mexican place is 200ft from our rental, and they sell margaritas with shrink-wrap sealed tops to go). I had to get up at 5:30am to catch an uber to the airport, which was not my favorite thing. But San Diego has a brand new Chase Sapphire airport lounge, which I happened to walk by - and so I walked in and got free breakfast + two free cups of coffee, which helped me stay alive.

Then I boarded my flight and slept most of the way to Denver. My layover in Denver was just long enough for me to get a burrito bowl at Cantina Grill, and then I flew to Des Moines. My arrival was basically on time, but my trip home was treacherous - we got all sorts of ice yesterday, so my drive was pretty unpleasant. My driveway was so slick that I couldn't walk on it, and [censored] put on his yaktrax to come out and tow me inside like a child learning to ice skate. But I survived, which is all that matters.

Today I was reimmersed immediately into the slog, which meant many meetings, and also weird food choices because I have no groceries and no time/desire to cook. So I had a frozen enchilada for lunch, and then for dinner [censored] and I ate the last of the spaghetti sauce that I'd stashed in the freezer - so I'd say it's time to make another giant batch. It was still tasty despite being frozen six months ago, so Past Sara really did me a solid. [Censored] and I ate it while watching SNL from a couple of weekends ago, and it was pretty funny all around, so that was a nice break.

Then I came upstairs and did some more slogging for the last couple of hours, and now I need to sleep - goodnight!

under streetlights in the city of palms

I had a great last day at my retreat, even though I had to do some day job stuff. I would tell you all about it, but I have to get up in less than six hours to go to the airport, so I think sleep is more important. Suffice it to say that writing + friends + a surprise tarot reading + two to-go margaritas = an excellent time. But now it's time for bed - goodnight!

lost in modern music

I really screwed up my sleep schedule last night, and it messed up my productivity today - it turns out that napping from 9:30-11:30 and then staying up until 2:30 isn't a recipe for success.

But I persevered - I got up and got coffee, chatted with Veronica, did a bit of work, and then took a slightly inadvertent nap from 10 to 10:45am. Then I did a little day job stuff, showered, had leftovers for lunch, and buckled down for the afternoon. I wasn't as productive as I wanted to be, but I still got through some writing, so I'll take it.

Tonight we went out for dinner, as we usually do towards the end of the retreat - and we went to the same place as usual, which was as tasty as it always is. I had a fun convo at my table -- which happened to segregate into the group that ordered three bottles of wine instead of the group that ordered six appetizers, so it all worked out.

Then we came back to the house, and ended up with the OG Montauk crew hanging out in the living room - the six of us discovered that another group of six at the retreat have their own group chat, which is somewhat hilarious. Of course, we also claim V and Steph even though they weren't at the very first retreat in Montauk, which gets us up to eight. But if gang warfare is going to break out at the end of the retreat, I don't know how it will shake out.

But for now I'm going to stick my head in the sand and call it a night - goodnight!

embrace the deep and leave everything

Today wasn't quite as good as yesterday, mostly because I didn't get quite enough sleep, woke up a little too early, and then spent too much time reading the news. I did get myself out of bed and go for a walk around eight - I found an excellent coffee shop by following signs into a parking lot that promised coffee. This is not how I normally find coffeeshops, but it was much better than Starbucks, so I'm happy I did. And I walked around Carlsbad for awhile after that, which was a good way to wake up.

Then I came back, did a bit of writing and other work while sitting in bed, and eventually showered and ate lunch while talking to Anne. Barbara lured me to write outside with the promise of a fire pit - we have been sitting in the gazebo, but it got foggy / windy today and the gazebo wasn't quite as nice. The fire pit was great, though - it was more of a fire stand since it was chest-high (waist-high if you're taller than me), but it put out the right amount of heat to keep us both comfy while we wrote / chatted most of the afternoon. I also took a break to call my parents, which felt very pleasantly like Sundays of old.

Eventually we came inside, and I placed the dinner order while we all talked about business stuff. I was my usual social self during and after dinner, but it was hard to focus. There's a lot of cognitive dissonance going on when the specifics of this retreat -- a house we've stayed at several times, a book I want to write, and easy and plentiful food delivery -- are so standard and mundane. Meanwhile, outside political events are anything but mundane.

One example of a thousand: Musk and his staffers -- several of whom are interns at Musk's companies who dropped out of college and are now in charge of the government despite not being elected or appointed, or potentially even paid by the government -- are accessing and downloading sensitive/classified information and shutting off Treasury payments to groups like Lutheran Family Services. All of this is a clear violation of the Constitution's laws around appropriations and spending, and apparently being done without any of the security clearances or information handling laws that administrations have historically followed.

[If you don't believe me about them targeting Lutheran Family Services, Musk tweeted it himself. He also tweeted that he spent the weekend "feeding USAID through the wood chipper" - even though much of that money stays in the US, and it's a key way we compete with China and Russia's efforts to buy allies around the world.]

While I knew the general shape of this was coming given what was said on the campaign trail, it's still shocking to watch it happen. It's also worrisome to know that many people I love, who are affected in some way by government spending (via funding for their jobs, medicare, the farm bill, social security + social security disability, or even just wanting roads/safe air travel/a functioning post office/a functioning society in general) are in for a lot of pain.

But I need to write a book tomorrow, and this isn't helping me to go to sleep. Goodnight!

if you close your eyes

I had quite a nice day in Carlsbad. I woke up at 5am to the dulcet tones of pigeons on the roof, but I put in the earplugs that I got via amazon same-day delivery, and that solved the problem so that I could sleep until after seven. I did a bit too much reddit scrolling, but then I did some journaling, showered, and went to Starbucks to get a coffee (and do a little browsing in the clothing store next door, which was surprisingly open by nine).

When I got back to the house, I did some good morning writing while watching the ocean and admiring the birds that are still alive to fly in formation over the waves. Then I took a slightly too long break for lunch - but I ordered a gluten free sandwich that was absolutely perfect, so it was #worthit. I spent the afternoon in the gazebo with Barbara, getting a nice amount of sun while doing some more writing-adjacent work.

The evening was also fun - we picked up Mexican food from the place down the street, and happily they do margaritas to go, so that was a nice bonus. I spent the last hour of social time with Anne, Tina, and Christie, and it got as absurd as it usually does with that group, which means it's good that we adjourned at 10:15 because I don't think I could handle another hour without either another drink or some ibuprofen (I'm equal opportunity about my painkillers).

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

electric avenue

I had an excellent day, but I'm v tired. I got woken up too early by door noise, and then kept awake because there seems to be a pigeon infestation on the roof/gutter above my room. Pigeons aren't crazy disruptive (they certainly beat my old neighbor's dog). But still, I ordered some earplugs to get same day delivered from Amazon.

After I was fully awake, I ran to 7/11 I pick up a couple of things, and then I went to a coffee shop for awhile. I alternated between working and playing the rest of the day, and I enjoyed a poke bowl at lunch as well as a fun convo with Barbara in the gazebo. We all also had a v long discussion about AI, which was super interesting.

Then we had dinner, hung out some more, and now I need to sleep - goodnight!

show me why you deserve to have it all

I have successfully ended work for the week and begun my writing retreat. Today was a slog to get to this point - I had a bunch of work to do, and I also had to pack, and there was v. little time in which to do those things because I also had a million meetings. But I got up early, grabbed some coffee, and got into the slog, and I would say I got done about as much as I needed to get done before signing off. I also took a break in the middle to eat some corned beef hash from the cafe downstairs, which was v. tasty. And I took my last two meetings from my balcony, which felt like a #treatyoself moment when compared to taking meetings from my desk in the wintery grey of ye olde Iowa.

sssanyway, check-in at the retreat was at 4pm, and check-out at my hotel was also 4pm, which was fortuitous. Even more fortuitous, they were only ten minutes apart. So I checked out at 3:45, grabbed an uber, and got to the house just in time to meet all my friends. There are 14 of us here, and there will be 15 for a couple of nights later in the week, so it's quite a full house. We drew numbers for rooms, and I drew fairly poorly (#9), which seems like happens every year - but thanks to many people having room preferences that I find bizarre, I managed to get my third choice despite being ninth in the choosing order. So I think everything's coming up Sara, but we'll see what I get done this week.

So we all hung out all evening, and we ordered and ate some tasty pizza, and I placed a bevmo order that came almost immediately. Then we did our usual exercise of intro'ing ourselves (we have a couple of new people this year) and sharing our goals for the year, which was fun. And then I stayed up until around 10 before deciding that I should go to bed. Of course, I didn't go to bed immediately - I decided to unpack, which always makes me feel good. But now it's time to sleep - goodnight!

rikki don't lose that number

No blog tonight - I had a v good day of working (much of it in the sun), and I also got a massage. But I'm quite tired, so I'm going to got to bed so that I can get up and keep cranking early tomorrow - goodnight!

i'm in california dreaming about who we used to be

I had a highly productive day until the last couple of hours - I woke up reasonably early, grabbed coffee downstairs, and then got straight into work. I continued slogging over a late breakfast, then had more meetings, then kept slogging through the afternoon.

Eventually, I took a bit of a break to grab a gluten free pocket pie (tasty, but they gave me apple and I wanted cherry), and then I walked along the ocean for a bit. And then I grabbed dinner at the hotel restaurant - which happens to have a michelin star and a chef who was just nominated for a James Beard award, so it's better than most hotel restaurants. I sat at the bar, which has a pretty limited menu, but my quesadilla with wagyu beef was perfect, and my margarita was also a delight. And I did some good journaling about what I want to accomplish with my writing this week, so I'll take it.

And now, I need to sleep and repeat these feats tomorrow - goodnight!

right place wrong time

I had a reasonably nice first day in Oceanside - it would have been even better if I'd been able to keep going with the productivity I started the day with, but c'est la vie. I woke up reasons early, grabbed some coffee, and did some decent day job work before showering. But since my first meeting was at 10am PST instead of 12pm CST, it really cramped my style.

Still, I persevered, and I feel like any productivity issues were my problem rather than a product of my new environment. Also, I slacked off at the end of the day to get a manicure - I'm fairly unimpressed with every salon I've tried in Oceanside, but today's attempt wasn't as bad as last year's, so I'll take it.

Then I came back and did a wee bit more work, went out the bar to grab food (and was low-grade appalled by how bad the spicy tuna bowl was - like, I haven't been shocked by food in a long time, and this did it), and was going to journal/write but instead watched the ISU/Arizona game. I didn't intend to watch it, but it was on in the bar, and I was able to watch the second half from my room. Pretty disappointing outcome...but I've been anti-Arizona forever since they used to be in the same conference as Stanford (pour one out for the PAC-12), so at least I've had some practice watching Arizona beat teams I care about.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

keen grits his teeth and enters sand yego

Today turned into a mad scramble, but I'm safely ensconced in a fancy hotel in Oceanside, where I'm sure I'll recover. I set my alarm to wake up in time to say goodbye to Becky and Brian, who left before seven...and then I promptly went back to bed for another hour even though Kathy was wide awake and likely ready to hang out. But the extra sleep was, in my opinion, v necessary. 

Then I got up and made coffee, and enjoyed the first cup in a v leisurely manner while talking to Aunt Kathy and [censored]. I also watered plants and did various things around the house until it was time to say goodbye to Kathy and start packing in earnest.

I thought I was in good shape with my list, but I ended up probably over packing dramatically - or maybe I under packed and forgot a bunch of stuff. It was hard to winnow the outfits because I didn't know what I'll want to wear while working vs writing vs doing other things. And I had to bring two laptops and a host of writing related stuff, so that added a lot of weight/space. 

But I made it out of the house by my real-real deadline (after blowing through my 2pm and 2:15pm planned departures). This meant I didn't have time to sit down for a salad like I usually do, but I survived. Both my flights were uneventful and I got some tacos in Denver, so everything worked out. The Uber situation at the San Diego airport was a total zoo, but my Uber driver was nice (and has had some crazy health issues), so at least the ride was good.

And now I'm fully unpacked and need to go to bed immediately so I can get up and slog tomorrow - goodnight!

it doesn't have to rhyme so don't you feed me a line

I should have gone to bed an hour ago, so this will be brief. I slept surprisingly well on the air mattress last night, and I got up briefly to say goodbye to Sammie and Drewbaby before sleeping for another ninety minutes. Then I had a leisurely cup of coffee, showered, and took the remaining houseguests to Snyder's to explore the many and varied wonders of the store that sells everything. We detoured through the metropolis of Garden Grove before I dropped them off at my parents' house to watch ISU basketball. 

Meanwhile, I dealt with some unexpected mural stuff (and now have a piece of mural in my garage), which sucked up time I meant to spend packing. Then I went back out to Mom and Dad's, where Becky made pizza on some surprisingly good gluten free cauliflower crusts. Then we came back into town and talked for awhile, but we wrapped it up much earlier than last night since everyone but [censored] is leaving tomorrow.

And now I must sleep - goodnight!

this is calcutta, bohemia is dead

Today was a whirlwind of various tings. I woke up and talked to Aunt B while making coffee, and then I scurried around and got ready so that I could go into town for allergy shots. Then I came home and slogged through three hours of meetings*, ate some soup (some might consider it sludge), and then took Aunt Becky and Aunt Kathy to the local thrift store. I didn't find any treasures to document here, but I did drop off four bags of clothes that had been sitting in my garage for two months, so I considered this a big win. And the aunts both found tupperware of varying shapes, so everyone was happy.

Then I grabbed a couple of things at the grocery store, dropped them back at my praents' house, and sped home so that I could work some more. When I finally wrapped up, I did a few things around the house and then prepped the last tings for dinner - I made some extra sauce for the ham balls (which I'd made on new year's day and frozen for tonight) and also prepped a batch of scalloped potatoes (potatoes au gratin if you're fancy).

Then I grabbed the potatoes, ham balls, extra sauce, and several bottles of wine and went out to Mom and Dad's. We had to have our belated Christmas celebration tonight because Drewbaby and Sammie could only come down tonight, but that ended up working pretty well. I put the potatoes in the oven and then we all hung out and chatted about various things while eating the relish tray that Kathy made in the shape of a Christmas tree. Then we ate dinner, continued chatting, and eventually some of us played a card game (Skyjo, which is basically a card game called Golf, which I have also never played). It was a fun way to pass the time, but then [censored] pointed out that the only people still awake and playing cards were the people who were staying at my house, so we vacated my parents' house and came back here.

Now, after several hours of chatter (which involved several more mentions of human feces than I'm used to discussing in this family, even though my San Francisco family often discusses feces thanks to Adit), I need to sleep - I volunteered to take an air mattress in my office since Aunt B/Uncle B are in the guest room, Aunt Kathy is in the basement, and Andrew/Sammie would be better off in my bed since they have to get up super early tomorrow. We'll see how that goes for me, but I think I'm tired enough that I'll get at least some sleep. Goodnight!

* I should clarify that one of the meetings wasn't a slog because it was a catch-up with my friend Natasha, whom I haven't talked to in ages and who is an absolute delight. And luckily my other meetings weren't bad either, but I would have rather had the whole day off...

i'm on that supersonic boom, y'all hear that spaceship? zoom

I have v. little to report - I slogged relentlessly today in anticipation of knocking off work early tomorrow. That meant a ton of work this morning and a whole bunch of meetings this afternoon. But since I like the people I work with, this was not actually that big of a deal. And when I was done, I talked to Katie while cleaning my kitchen, and then ran to the grocery store for some last minute necessities.

When I got home, I threw together a double batch of what [censored] and I affectionately call 'Elmer's Chili' (so named because it is more like glue than soup, but I love it). It was ready just after Aunt Becky and Uncle Brian arrived from Colorado - and happily they were ready to partake in it. So we ate chili (at the table that I procured from Uncle B, so that's a fun trip down memory lane for them), and Brian partook of my underused liquor cabinet while I drank some pinot noir. All in all it was a v. fun couple of hours, and a good way to kick off 'Christmas weekend' (if you want to call it that).

And now I need to go to bed so I can do a bunch of work tomorrow before slacking off for family time - goodnight!

wristwatch, drip drop, labels want the tiktoks

I've had quite a bit going on the last couple of days - starting with allergy shots yesterday, followed by the v unpleasant discovery that the pipes froze in the house (shed? shack?) that I bought next door. I have temperature sensors over there that alerted me that the temp was 45 yesterday morning...which wasn't a shock since outside was -14. But unfortunately that wasn't warm enough to keep the pipes underneath the house from freezing, which is what I assume happened. There wasn't any visible damage inside, at least.

So I called the city water guy and he came and turned off the water at the curb, which is probably how it will stay until spring. Then I slogged relentlessly - my last meeting didn't end until almost seven, which was rough. And then I don't even remember what I did - definitely some cleaning, and maybe some journaling? 

Today was more of the same - I slogged all day (with varying productivity) and then slacked off a little early to do house stuff. I have a full crew staying here this weekend, and then I'm leaving Sunday for California, so I have a million things to do.

At some point [censored] returned, and we chatted for a bit before [censored] couldn't bear it anymore and had to go check out the leak. I probably incited that, since I was playing some "Songs for Cats" station on the speaker, and the only way for [censored] to escape was to go to a different, worse house. Happily there was no further sign of damage after my inspection this morning, and the water appears to be shut off, so hopefully it can wait for warmer weather to be resolved. 

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

little did you know your home's really only a town you're just a guest in

I am feeling tired at 9:48pm, and I'm going to valiantly attempt to go to bed right away so that I don't get a second wind and stay up until 2am. Today was fairly productive, though - I didn't get out of bed until after ten, but I got a lot done this afternoon. I'm getting close to being able to host guests next weekend, depending on whether and when those guests decide to spend the night.

I mostly focused on the downstairs this afternoon, and I tackled the worst chore first - I washed the pendant lights above my kitchen island, which get grimy because they're also about the stove. Every time I wash them I live in fear of breaking them, which is why I don't wash them often enough - but they'll look great until I made a stirfry again. I also took down my Christmas decorations. I had planned to leave them up since we're doing Christmas with Aunt B next weekend, but I realized that if I left them up for that, they would be up until sometime in February due to my travel schedule. Hopefully we can still get in the holiday spirit without a tree in the corner of my living room.

Sometime in there, I also said goodbye to [censored], who had to journey north. I also dusted and vacuumed the living room and guest room, washed the guest room sheets, vacuumed the carpets in the basement, tidied up the dining room, and did various other tings. Eventually, I was out of steam, so I ate some leftover pizza, scrolled for awhile, and did some day job stuff that I was putting off. I'm still putting off some of it and will have to get up early tomorrow to finish it, which is another incentive to sleep soon. So on that note, goodnight!

ra-ra-rasputin, russia's greatest love machine

I failed to get up in a timely fashion this morning because I went to bed at two a.m. (which is not what I intended to do when I blogged, but my phone got the best of me). So I was in bed until 10:30, and then I made coffee and got around in a v. desultory fashion.

However, I was slightly more productive than yesterday - I showered, then checked on the house next door (where there is no water leaking despite me completely ignoring it for the last month - but I do have temperature sensors and cameras, so I know it's not inhabited by squatters or at risk of freezing). Then I ran into town to grab a couple of tings for dinner. I threw a chuck roast into the slow cooker along with some beef stock, lime juice, vinegar, onion, and a bunch of spices, and the smell of it cooking for five hours was nearly enough to drive me mad with hunger.

While it was cooking, I did some other random tasks and cleaned my room. This included setting up the new shop vac that I'd ordered several months ago so that I could try vacuuming my bedroom with it. I hadn't shared this fact since I was quite sad about it, but I lost one of my favorite earrings on thanksgiving (a diamond stud my parents gave me). I was sure it had to be in my room, but after repeated searching of the carpet, my clothes, etc., it was nowhere to be found. [censored] suggested using the new shop vac before it had any other debris in it, and I finally got around to testing it. The pile in my carpet is such that an earring could easily get hidden within it, but I wasn't looking forward to spending many minutes/hours carefully sweeping every inch of the room. Happily, though, I heard something hit the inside of the shop vac within the first minute of my attempt - and my earring was there, looking none the worse for wear. So that was a real win, even if I accomplished nothing else.

This meant I could finally actually vacuum my room, which I've been avoiding due to the missing earring. I did not do that today, but I did dust and clean my bathroom and generally clean up. I threw together some mexican rice in the rice cooker and let dinner finish making itself. I also inspected my basement, where [censored] discovered a leak today - unrelated to any water pipes, and relatively fixable, but still quite annoying (and darkly funny that we were worried about the abandoned house next door instead of the basement).

Then I shredded the beef barbacoa, heated up some refried beans, and ate with [censored] while watching last night's SNL. The beef was amazing tonight, and I'm looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow. And after we were finished with SNL and cleanup, I came upstairs and read for the last few hours - I started THE GOLDFINCH, which came out several years ago, and which I only picked up because we're reading it for a book club at work. So far so good, but I'm curious to see where it's headed.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

sometimes there's airplanes you can't jump out

I am back in Iowa after a slightly chaotic day yesterday. Nothing terrible happened, but I woke up slightly later than I should have, decided to prioritize a final cup of Philz over packing (#worthit, even though it ate 30min since I had to drive there and back), and then had a meeting that took 45min instead of 30. Because of all of this, I had to scramble to pack, shower, and return my rental car. I made it through security in time to grab some food, which I ate as I watched the first half of my plane board, but I was in my seat before final call, so I guess it was all fine.

My flight to Denver was uneventful, and I grabbed a snack (burrata, which is pretty fancy for a snack, but also gluten free) before boarding my Des Moines flight. It was starting to snow in Denver, and so we were delayed by about thirty minutes for deicing. But the flight was otherwise smooth, and I was in my house by 11:15pm. I chatted with [censored] longer than I should have, but then I retired and v. much enjoyed being back in my bed.

I was pretty lazy today despite my best intentions - but I think I needed a lazy day after a long trip. I made some coffee and sipped it while talking to [censored], and then I messed around online for way too long. I finally ate some lunch, took a shower, cleaned out the fridge and took out my trash, moved a couple of tings from the garage to the shed, and ran to the grocery store. It was chilly today but it's going to be absurd tomorrow, so I'm glad I got some stuff done.

Then I was going to work, but I got sucked into the Iowa State / West Virginia game, which was not a fun game to get sucked into because we lost. As soon as it was over, I ordered some pizza and [censored] and I picked it up to take out to the parents' house. We hung out there for awhile, which was nice, and I was happy for them that [censored] fixed all sorts of stuff for them while I was flitting about in California.

And now, I need to sleep and aim for more productivity tomorrow - goodnight!

knocking on heaven's door

I had a lovely final day in the city of sin. I got up and grabbed coffee downstairs and then relaxed a bit before getting ready, which was v necessary. Then I carpooled into the office for a million meetings, one of which included walking for an hour like a peasant, but it was like a peasant who lives next to a beautiful body of water, so I'll take it. 

After work, we had a lunar new year party at Palette, which is the dim sum restaurant I went to with the friendship renewal crew last month. It was a raucous time, mostly because I sat at the "kids table" (which was the table of people who attended without kids). I felt bad abandoning the actual kids, but as at least one of the kids had an active fever, I felt it was better to hang with the adults and drink some medicinal tequila to stave off illness. 

Either way the kids table was where it was at - I sat next to Adit, and we v competently trolled everyone else at the table. We also created a new drinking game ("call your shot") which is excellent for tables with lazy susans (lazies susan?). All in all it was an excellent evening, and I'm glad I enjoy the people I work with so much. 

After dinner, I came back to my hotel with Jamie and Kleidi, and we had a v delightful afterparty in the hotel bar. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

we'll be counting stars

No blog tonight - I slept fitfully last night and had a bunch of meetings today, followed by a team dinner at Mykonos. All in all it was good, but I need to sleep before I start typing gibberish. Goodnight!

wonderin' if i could sneak out the back

Today was entirely slogging - I got up early enough to sneak into downtown Burlingame and pick up a Philz coffee before doing some work and then going into the office, but I cut it all close. Then I slogged through meetings all day, came back to the hotel (with a coworker who is also staying here), and accidentally took a nap.

But I did a bit of journaling this evening, which is always great. And I ate some takeout thai food, had a glass of wine, and did a bunch of work that I needed to get done, so I'll take it. And now I need to go to sleep so I can rinse and repeat tomorrow - goodnight!

the drugs, the women, the wine, the weed

I did not sleep at all well last night, and I had to get up at six because I needed to do work before work and my meetings start at nine a.m. here instead of the much more civilized hour of eleven.

But despite these tragedies, I persevered. I had a v long slog of meetings, but also a v tasty lunch from a place called Healthyish Republic, which I would happily have again. Then I had more meetings, until I rebelled at five and drove myself and another coworker back to the hotel. I dropped him and my laptop off and then sped to downtown Burlingame to meet Lauren (aka Subz) for dinner at pizzeria delfina. We had many tings to catch up on, which I v much enjoyed. I also realized we're about to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the time we spent in India together, which feels impossible. She did not seem interested in a reunion trip to Hampi, but I still have time to work on her.

After we parted ways, I came back to the hotel, did a bit of work, and also journaled. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

marry me juliet, you'll never have to be alone

I had a lovely day, although I'm crashing hard now. I slept a little fitfully last night, which is not a surprise since my advanced age makes it hard to have more than one or two drinks in a night. But I got up early enough to walk to the nearest Philz for coffee, do a bit of writing, and then shower and pack up all my stuff. Then I drove down to Woodside to meet Shedletsky and Bride of Shedletsky for brunch at the Village Pub.

Village Pub sounds like it might be lowkey, but it's definitely not a Village Inn. It's actually part of the same restaurant group that owned my beloved Des Amis before it closed, but Village Pub has been a mainstay forever (and has had a michelin star for twelve consecutive years). They have a three-course brunch offering, which was truly excellent - and we opted for the additional fourth course, which was a perfect risotto covered in shaved truffles. I did oysters for my appetizer, then the risotto, then a perfect french omelette, and then a chocolate souffle, along with my share of a bottle of sauvignon blanc. When I type all those dishes together, they don't match at all - they were spaced out with plenty of time in between each, so it was almost like four mini-meals (or real meals, since the risotto and the omelette both could have been a single meal in their own right).

So we have a very leisurely almost-three-hours hanging out and catching up, and it was a delight to see them. When it was finally time to part ways, I went to Stanford Shopping Center to check in on my old haunts. The mall continues to get more upscale, but it was also absolutely buzzing compared to most malls these days. I also got some interesting intel from the guy who rang up my purchase at Anthro, and I enjoyed wandering around in the sunshine, so it was a worthwhile way to spend an hour.

Then I drove north, checked into my new hotel, unpacked, and zoned out for quite awhile. I finally rallied to grab a burger from the bar (which was fine but extremely subpar compared to my brunch experience) and do a bit of work. And now I'm going to go to bed and hope that I can get a million things done tomorrow morning. Goodnight!