rest your eyes and stay in the shade

I'm v tired and I suppose I should go to bed if I have any hope of getting work done tomorrow. I was pretty productive today, though. I woke up and spent some quality time writing this morning, which felt good. Then I showered, ate a sandwich, went to the grocery store, and embarked on my afternoon activities. This involved planting tings for several hours - [censored] had set up my raised garden beds yesterday, and I got the north one fully planted (three tomatoes, a tomatillo, five kinds of pepper, way more eggplant than I should have planted, and some basil and cilantro). We are also testing the 'Florida weave' method of supporting the tomatoes and peppers, which involves putting fence posts on either end of the garden and then holding the plants up with a figure-eights of twine weaving around them. We'll see how this goes, but I'm excited so far.

We'll also see how well AI does in planning a garden - I trained a Gemini agent by telling it I wanted it to act like a 'retired Extension director with extensive personal gardening experience', and also told it my zone, soil type, etc. It suggested what plants to put in each bed, and also told me I have too much zucchini, which I realized myself a little too late. It's been helpful so far in figuring out how to lay things out, so we'll see how it goes this summer.

In more earthy, less AI news, I also killed my first tomato worm of the season - it was just casually hanging out on one of my tomato plants before I even planted it. I assume it hitched a ride from the greenhouse, but its migration was for naught because I crushed it. This is perhaps the first of many, but I hope not.

After I planted the veggies, I took a break from the raised beds because I need more soil for the second one. Instead, I planted a couple of pots of petunias for the front, a dahlia for my balcony, and also the big railing planter that I keep on my balcony every summer. I still have more to plant this week, but I felt good about what I got done today. And I did it all while listening to a couple of audiobooks - first I started a book on consciousness, but I was having trouble focusing on it. So I switched to "Braiding Sweetgrass", which I've been meaning to read for ages, and so far it's excellent - it's by a botanist who is a member of the Potawatomi, and it's part memoir, part history, part plant/environment discussion.

When I was done planting, I cleaned up, took a shower, and then made dinner (somewhat reluctantly; if I were in Denver, I would have ordered thai takeout instead). Luckily it turned out v. well - I made pasta with sausage and swiss chard (and parmesan and lemon zest, no tomatoes), which is one of my faves. The chard came from the farmers' market yesterday, and it was pretty tasty, and [censored] and I both enjoyed it.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

dream on

I had a decent last couple of days. Yesterday I got up early and packed up before heading to the garmers market in downtown Des Moines. I was really surprised by how many vendors they had -- over 200, which meant there were a lot of people crammed into the city. But I got some plans for my garden and really enjoyed wandering around, so it was a good way to spend the morning.

Then I went to whole foods to stock up on stuff. I also went to Home Depot to get various things for my garden, and I stopped at Ellis Greenhouse for the same reason. I probably have more garden stuff than I need or want, but that's a problem for Future Sara.

After I got home yesterday, I spent the afternoon roasting tomatoes and then grilling steak for dinner with Mom and [censored]. I went to bed last night and intended to get up early today so that I could be productive, and I was partially successful. Surprisingly, I did get up pretty early for a weekend, but the productivity was marginal at best.

That said, I had an okay day. Since it was drizzling a bit this morning, I ended up going to Centerville so that I could pick up a few last things that I didn't have for my garden as well as get a few groceries. When I got back, [censored] and I ended up putting together two raised garden beds that he had picked up for me in Des Moines. And by "we" I mean [censored] did all of the work and I mostly stood around and supervised.

I ended the day by taking a shower, and then [censored] and I took a quick trip to the cemetery to see the way it looked with all the flags out for Memorial Day. When we got back I threw together the accoutrements for taco salad - I browned some hamburger and then chopped up romaine that I bought at the farmers market yesterday to go with some onion, tomato, a salsa/sour cream dressing, and various other tings. This went a long way toward restoring my energy. 

And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

i can't wait 'til tomorrow while these thoughts they all leech from my head

I am ensconced in a bougie hotel room in Des Moines, because I desperately needed both alone time and fanciness and a change of scene. I had been planning to come to Des Moines for the afternoon for awhile, since I booked a haircut for today directly after my last haircut several months ago. But last night I decided to make it an overnight - coming up in the afternoon always rushes me to run errands and buy groceries, and I never have time to chill and explore. 

So I got up pretty early, did an interview for a candidate at work at the ungodly hour of 8am (I am v spoiled and believe starting meetings before ten -- or better, eleven -- is a violation of my human rights), and then sped to Des Moines. I then took another meeting from Starbucks before taking the rest of the day off (partially on my own volition, partially at the direction of my friend/HR boss lady, who actually texted me today on my personal phone to make sure I was following through on taking today off).

After that, I got a long overdue pedicure, then grabbed a salad and went to the salon to get my haircut (which turned out great). Then I washed my car, ran to Rrader Joe's, and drove downtown to check into my hotel. I also checked out a salvage store that I've wanted to explore, and it was awesome - four stories of incredible junk that was both v appealing and gave me PTSD flashbacks to all the other junk my family already has. It's a good thing I don't have room for a gigantic spinning wheel (unless I turn the place next door into a textile studio, which is not the dumbest idea I've had). But the store was well worth a visit. 

Then I went to the hotel, unpacked, and walked down the street to Centro, where I had a bougie early dinner with an Aperol spritz, scallops, and a glass of wine. Then I came back to the hotel and dozed, which might have been the end of me - but Katie called, so we talked for an hour, which was a delight.

After Katie woke me up, I rallied and went downstairs for another glass of wine, some fries, and some v quality time with my journal. I came up with some story topics, which made the price of the hotel room worth it, and it was v nice to have a solo hotel bar experience like I used to have when I traveled more. 

But now, I need to sleep so I can run all the errands tomorrow - goodnight!

i'm lookin' to help you find bliss, one day, one way, can't miss

I was not nearly as productive today as I had intended to be, and at this point I think this week is a wash. I woke up at a reasonable hour and did some journaling, which was good; I also made coffee, which was even better. And I did partake in several hours of meetings, in which I made several suggestions or decisions, so I wasn't entirely useless. But several of my afternoon meetings got canceled, and I was not feeling like picking up any of the myriad projects that I was working on in April and which I have semi-forgotten.

So, ultimately, I ended up calling it a day and doing some other personal tings. [Censored] got home at some point, and I made myself some huevos rancheros for a late dinner, since I had forgotten to eat. I also realized that I had forgotten to throw away the sour cream, which apparently expired on May 5 (don't tell [censored], who had some of it earlier this week). I realized this only after I had slathered it on my quesadilla, and since it was just slightly more sour than it usually is, I decided to roll with it. Given my preferences for food safety, you can use this to read between the lines on my mood!

Sssanyway, I ate my huevos rancheros, then talked to [censored] for awhile. And now I need to sleep so that I can get with my many and varied plans tomorrow - goodnight!

don't let the devil make you toss this letter

Today might have felt back to normal except noting really feels back to normal. I got up earlier than I wanted to do I could go get allergy shots - I reacted a bit, but not as bad as three weeks ago, so I'll take it. Then I came home and slogged excessively - I didn't actually get much done, but I participated in many meetings and started to get back up to speed.

My last meeting was cancelled, though, so I ran out to Mom's to pay a quick visit to her and Aunt Kathy, who came down for the day. Then I went into town for a library board meeting - we interviewed librarian candidates yesterday and today, which went well (and was reasonably fun).

Then I came home, tidied up, opened the many boxes of things I've ordered and but bothered to open the last couple of weeks, and generally chilled. I also ate some chickpea masala with rice that I'd frozen for a lazy day, and I'm happy to report it was pretty good reheated (if you have my palate instead of the palates of most people in my county).

And now, I'm going to bed - goodnight!

rollercoaster

I have v little to report. I went back to work today, and it rained like three inches and also hailed, which was a fitting complement to my mood. It was good to see (most of) my coworkers, but I was not feeling in it to win it. However, I did get my desk cleared off and had a few decent-enough meetings, so hopefully I can get back into the swing of things without too much drama.

I was going to scrounge for dinner and make [censored] scrounge too, but the weather got me in the mood for chili, and I managed to find one non-rotten onion in my pantry (the last few weeks were not big for onion usage, apparently, and so my stockpile went to waste). So after I was done working, I made chili, and then [censored] and I watched the last SNL of the season.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

all this feels strange and untrue, and i won't waste a minute without you

I suppose I should start blogging again. The last couple of weeks have been surreal, but I'm going back to work tomorrow and there is, perhaps, some expectation that one is supposed to create normalcy?

Today did feel like a mostly normal Sunday - I journaled, did some despairing, did some cleaning, wrote for awhile on my balcony, and then ate dinner with [censored] while watching a recording of SNL. But it is still not normal. The rest of the weekend was equally surreal - birthday dinner for [censored] on Friday (in Garden Grove, which my mom enjoyed; we hadn't taken her there because Dad couldn't have climbed the steps, but [censored] and I like it and we decided to use the gift certificate we got this week), and another birthday dinner on Saturday (I made chicken and mushroom alfredo that was tasty, and a pineapple upside down cake that would have been better if it had gluten in it).

Of course, I missed telling you about visitation and the funeral and a million other details - but if I'm going to get back into blogging, I'm just going to have to jump in without the recap. Perhaps I will recap someday, but it is not this day. Goodnight!

taken at the flood

I have not been blogging because I haven't felt like it, but the update is: my dad passed away on Friday. It was as peaceful as it could have been - he was at home, and mom, [censored], Aunt B and I were all there. And while it's very sad, it was better than the alternative, which was that he continued to linger in pain and with less and less lucidity.

So the last week has been a blur, and it has been even more of a blur since Friday. I may recount it someday, but right now I need to sleep. To add insult to injury, though, my power went out tonight- and the generator that I bought and got delivered while dad was in the hospital is around but has not been prepped to hook up yet. Hopefully the power comes back on before morning (and before my vast stores of frozen food are ruined), but we shall see. Goodnight!

just the facts

I have not blogged for a week, which is probably the longest I've gone without blogging since sometime around 2005. I have not been entirely sure what to say, although I suppose the pressure is off since so few people read zee blog regularly anymore. But I should record what's going on for posterity - of the remaining readers, we do often use it to settle disputes about what happened when, and if I'm the paper of record for such happenings, I should really stay on top of it.

So, just the facts:

- on Monday, I woke up early to prep for a meeting. As I was prepping, [censored] and I got a call that Dad was at the ER. He was supposed to have an appointment farther away to check his legs, which aren't looking good, but decided that he should go to the ER instead.

- there, we learned that his sodium is lower than the doctor has ever seen (although we learned that Tuesday night; in the ER they were not alarmist, although they were concerned).

- it became clear that if we wanted to pursue aggressive treatment, he would need to be transferred to a bigger hospital. But, there were no beds anywhere in Des Moines, and so the closest options were Cedar Rapids or Kansas City (note: neither of them are close).

- given all of his many and varied and complicated issues, we decided that it might be time for hospice. Mom, [censored] and I had a really nice conversation with the ER ARNP about this, and also talked to Dad. We didn't exactly make any firm decisions, but we decided to stay local and admit him to the hospital here.

- Tuesday, we talked to the hospice people, who are really quite nice and very supportive. Dad also got a brief visit from Darrell. And then Aunt Kathy came down, followed a bit later by Drewbaby and Sammie. We all spent the afternoon together (except for the brief period when I got allergy shots, which I of course reacted to). They stuck around for an extremely cheap dinner in the cafeteria, and then they all went back to Des Moines since [censored] and I were not up for guests.

- After they left, Mom and [censored] and I had a long conversation with the doctor on call at the hospital, whom I really liked. We agreed that it was definitely time for hospice based on the aforementioned sodium and all the other issues.

- Wednesday, Dad went home. Hospice set us up with a bunch of stuff to keep him comfortable, and luckily so far he's able to drive his scooter around the house, although he's getting weaker again...

- The hospice nurse and social worker came to meet us at home, and it's really quite impressive all the stuff that they can provide. So hopefully he can stay home for the duration, but we'll see. I also grilled some ribeyes because I absolutely had to (I'd thawed it intending to make dinner Tuesday), even though no one had much appetite.

- Thursday, they brought a different mattress to support him better, and some other random equipment. We also met the aide who will come to help with stuff, who happens to be my new neighbor. Darrell came by again, and I made a valiant effort to take some meetings - but I quickly realized I had zero interest in doing any of it.

- Friday, I took one meeting and then decided to call it a day. I hung out with the parents for awhile, and then I decided to go to Centerville to get some groceries. I also picked up Chinese food, since Dad had been craving it. This has mostly been eaten by [censored], but I expected that to happen. While I was gone, my sister came by to see Dad, but I missed her visit. Later, Lee Ann and Clell dropped off cinnamon rolls and soup, and stayed to chat for a bit.

- Saturday, Allie and Chris came down to see Dad. I figured out how to make popcorn in his popcorn popper, which is something no one else knows how to do because only Dad uses the popcorn popper. I made a new-to-me recipe for beef and noodles - I put a chuck roast in the instant pot and pressure cooked it until it fell apart, and then I brought it up to a boil and cooked a bunch of gluten free fettuccine in it. I also made mashed potatoes. We all really liked it, and it's definitely something I would make again. And Joan dropped off some soup, which means Mom and Dad's fridge has stuff in it. We ended the night by watching some Joy of Painting, which really is a joy.

- Today, I got up way too early, but had to do some stuff for the library board, so I spent a couple of quiet hours working on that while [censored] dealt with the early morning stuff at Mom and Dad's. Then I went out to their house since Zane and Allison and also Sammi came down to see Dad. We all talked for awhile, which wore Dad out, so I left shortly after they did, came home and ate a late lunch, and did some more library stuff. Then I went to the grocery store, took groceries to Mom, hung out with Dad for a bit, and then came home to make fresh mashed potatoes for [censored] and I to eat with the leftover noodles.

So that's the update. None of it is pleasant, but Dad is still lucid and able to talk (when he's not sleeping), so I guess there's that. Luckily work has been super understanding and [censored] has also mostly been off, so we can do what we need to do.

But right now what I need to do is go to bed.

rest your eyes and stay in the shade

I slept pretty well last night, except for the hour after the smoke detectors went off at 1am. I was pretty sure there was no actual smoke since only the Google smoke detectors alerted (and they stopped after a minute), and the hard-wired ones did nothing. But still, [censored] and I both got up and checked things out, and I ran next door to make sure the other house wasn't on fire (it wasn't, although if it was, that would have saved me from having to make decisions about what to do with it).

So I eventually went back to sleep and slept until almost nine. Then I was slow to get around, but I spent a few hours engaged in some writing-adjacent activities while drinking my coffee. After I got dressed and ate lunch, I ran into town to buy some broccoli, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing my basement project. I got all of my stuff organized, for the most part; there are some empty boxes to throw away and some empty plastic totes to do something with, but I'm quite pleased with how organized everything looks.

Unfortunately, just as I was wrapping up in the basement and getting ready to make supper, I dropped a bottle of wine and shattered it. Luckily it was one of the cheapest bottles on the rack, and also luckily it was rosé and so didn't stain; unluckily, the glass went everywhere, and it was a bitch to clean up. That took my last bit of energy and willpower, and then I still had to make dinner if [censored] and I wanted something to eat. Luckily again, I had planned to make salmon teriyaki, which is one of the easiest things to throw together, so we ate only ten minutes later than I had intended.

But now I need to go to bed so that I can recoup some energy for a long work slog tomorrow - goodnight!

somebody told me to believe in better times

I was going to write a proper blog post, but my laptop battery is dead and I would rather be in bed than tethered to a power cord. I've been keeping busy the past few days; I started managing a new team at work, and so I'm trying to ramp up on everything they do in addition to continuing with everything I usually do. My workload isn't as insane as it sounds (although it's possible I have Stockholm syndrome from working in tech), but there's always lots to do, so work is a good distraction right now.

On Thursday, the highlight of the day was finding nine morel mushrooms in my front yard, there for the taking. I wasn't planning to cook that night, but I decided to fry them up for me and [censored]. I haven't had fresh fried morels in possibly decades, and even with dredging in gluten free flour, they turned out super tasty. It's too bad they were the perfect appetizer, since then there was no appropriate dinner to accompany it, but c'est la vie.

Yesterday, I slogged until after lunch, and then I ran to Des Moines to take care of some tings. I didn't really have time for the trip, but I was nice to get out of the house for a few hours. And then I came home and talked to [censored], who tolerated my jhokes because I brought him a piece of cheesecake - I know how to bribe him.

Today, I was more productive around the house than I often am on Saturdays - I made some headway on organizing the basement. I spent several hours down there, which went by quickly since I was listening to music and in the zone. When I was ready for a break, I ate girl lunch (some cheese and salami, with some expired but still okay gf crackers and some tasty marmalade). Then I went out to my parents' house; Dad was napping, so I talked to Mom for a bit and we agreed that I would come back and feed them supper.

So I ran to the store to grab a couple of things, came home, lost some steam, and took a nap. I also defrosted a couple of jars of spaghetti sauce - I offered to feed the family, but I didn't commit to putting any effort into the endeavor. Just as I was getting ready to go to their house, I emerged from another basement excursion to find multiple missed calls from [censored]. He was doing a project on a lift, and the lift had died, and so he was stuck fifteen feet in the air.

I decided that I should probably rescue him, so I went to his building and helped him out. The solution ended up being dragging his biggest ladder over, which was very nearly not tall enough, and he was able to climb down. It could have been worse, and I'm glad I wasn't in Des Moines today instead of yesterday.

Then I went out to Mom and Dad's, heated up the sauce and boiled the spaghetti, and threw together a bagged Caesar salad. [Censored] made it out just in time to eat, so we enjoyed dinner and hung out for a bit. Then I came home, showered, hung out a bit, and now need to sleep. I haven't been sleeping enough (or well enough) the last few nights, so it's time to get myself back in the sleep program. Goodnight!

setting the lea of nebraska alight

Let's see, what's going on. Yesterday was all slogging all the time - I didn't have a tremendous amount of meetings, but I had a lot of work that I needed to get done. Luckily I was able to do some of it on my balcony, and I also had some journaling time out there, so it could have been worse. I stayed up too late finishing some stuff, but that's the way it goes when you're in the corporate trenches.

This morning, I woke up and took my time getting ready instead of jumping straight into work. This was probably good for me stress levels, although I felt a little behind all day. Around 5:45 I threw in the towel, ate a quick and early dinner of leftover chicken chile verde, and sped 'downtown' to take a group photo with some of the secret society members. Our usual meeting was tonight anyway, but we met early to take a photo to send to the state office. Then I sped back home and changed my clothes before going to the meeting, since I had to wear something specific tonight and did not want to wear it for the photo.

So I went to the meeting, and a good time was (mostly) had by all, and I got to eat Reese's Pieces that Julie brought as part of her snack offering, which I enjoyed. Then I came home, did a tiny bit of work, and talked to [censored] for awhile. Then I came upstairs and did a tiny bit more work, but now I think it's time to throw in the towel. Goodnight!

baby when I'm yelling at you it's not your fault

Nothing to report today - I was pretty productive all day, which felt good. And I took my last two meetings from my balcony, where it was warm enough to sit outside - and so I continued to sit outside and work/journal until almost dark. Then I ate a v late supper, watched some of the new John Mulaney show on Netflix (did not love as much as I expected), and decided I should go to bed early rather than getting my second wind. Goodnight!

quiet now, will we gather to conjure the rain down

I spent entirely too much time this weekend staring at laptops, but since it rained all day today, that was probably the best thing I could do. I spent the morning doing some desultory writing + messing around with some research into marketing techniques. I also read a bunch of online content in an effort to get inspired, with mostly positive results.

Then I took a break to have a turkey sandwich (thanks to my mom's efforts yesterday), did a couple of loads of laundry, and threw together some chicken chile verde in the instant pot. This was not what was for dinner, since I was pretty sure [censored] wouldn't like it - I had some chicken thighs languishing in the freezer that I never cook since [censored] doesn't like dark meat, and I also had some tomatillos and peppers that I bought on my grocery run last weekend that were about to go bad. So I threw them all in the pressure cooker purely so that I will have food to eat this week without needing to cook on my work nights. It turned out quite well, if I do say so myself, so I can cook some rice tomorrow night and feast as soon as [censored] departs.

After I cooked that and cleaned everything up, I made actual dinner - elmer's chili sounded good on a rainy day like today, so I threw together a batch. [Censored] and I ate it while watching some Big Bang reruns, and then I finished cleaning up the kitchen, came upstairs, procrastinated for a bit, debated going to bed, and instead forced myself to get a second wind so I could work for a couple of hours and take care of a task that I desperately needed to do before tomorrow. There's another task I also need to desperately do tomorrow, but at least I got this one done and it's (almost) feasible to do the other task in the morning.

But if I'm going to do that, I need to sleep - goodnight!

did you notice, did you notice i'm feeling uninspired? i think i'm crossing wires

I had a reasonably good day - I woke up feeling inspired to be productive, and I was moderately successful at that. I mostly messed around on my laptop, but I felt like it was mostly for good endeavors. And I took a couple of breaks, did several loads of laundry, took a shower, and generally enjoyed the afternoon.

Eventually, I went out to Mom and Dad's for dinner - it is Easter but it felt like Thanksgiving because my mom thawed out a turkey that needed used. So we had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, layered lettuce, and five cup salad, and it was all quite tasty. I had to carve the turkey because my dad wasn't up to doing it, and I did not cut it as nicely as he is capable of doing - but the turkey itself was excellent, so we were all happy about that.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

so clear but so unheard

I had an okay day, but my energy was off - I stayed up way too late last night, and I had to get up at seven if I had any hope of making it to the hospital by eight (which I did, but just barely). I got my annual mammogram, and then I went to the clinic next door and got allergy shots, which unfortunately swelled up. But I was home by 9:30ish, and ready to get on with my day.

So I worked all day, with a couple of meetings in the afternoon - my focus was a little off since I was tired and not feeling #inittowinit, but it was better than nothing. And I stopped around five to drive over to Centerville for dinner with Hannah. We went to our usual spot to celebrate her recent birthday, and we had a delightful time - many jokes and philosophical topics were exchanged, and I'm glad we were able to get together.

Then I came home, said hi to [censored], dozed while scrolling reddit (and while [censored] watched a youtube video about tractors, which seemed to have a meandering plot and limited character development), and then came upstairs. I think I'll try to go to bed early (for me) in hopes that I can seize tomorrow. Goodnight!

lay me down in a field of flame and heather

I have screwed up because it's after midnight and I have to be at a doctor's appointment a little before 8am. Today was a bit of a slog - I had a bunch of work to get done (with mixed results), and a bunch of afternoon meetings, and I got pulled into another meeting from 7-7:45pm. So that was all a lot.

But I took a break before the 7pm meeting to make dinner, with mixed results - I wanted to attempt pancakes, and they were pretty good, but they weren't exactly what I had in mind. And in the process, I did not do as good a job with my hashbrowns as I usually do. But [censored] and I enjoyed it all anyway, especially with the bacon that turned out perfectly. And I got some good work done tonight after dinner, so I'll take it.

And now I must sleep - goodnight!

wednesday my empty arms were open

I have nothing to report this week - I'm just working, sleeping, having headaches, and monitoring the economy/political situation with increasing alarm. But I did some work/writing after work from my balcony, which was v. nice. And [censored] is around this week, so we ate frozen fish (regular for him, gf for me) + curly fries for dinner, which was pretty tasty.

And now, even though it's still early, I think I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

we can't be defeated

I have nothing to report today - I woke up, spent some quality time planning out my week, and then worked all day with a brief break for some leftover pasta at lunch. I did have a fun and long-overdue chat with Heather (aka dear respected madam), and it was v. nice to catch up - and v. hard to believe that we were in India together twenty years ago this month. It was a lifetime ago, but I don't like putting hard numbers like "twenty years ago" on it, because that makes me feel ancient.

My last meeting ended at six, and then I started the rice cooker while I made paneer makhani. [Censored] was here for dinner tonight and usually I would spare him a creation like this, but I had paneer in the fridge that was going to go bad, and there were enough other leftovers to keep him from starving, so I indulged. The recipe was super easy since I used a spice packet (although the spice packet was meant for murgh makhani aka butter chicken instead of paneer/cheese). So all I had to do was cook some canned tomatoes and a bunch of butter, then add the spices with heavy cream, and then add the paneer right at the end. It wasn't as good as what I used to eat in Hyderabad, but it was good enough, and I have plenty of leftovers since [censored] turned his nose up at it.

When it was done, I ate while watching the latest SNL with [censored], and then I came upstairs and did various tasks. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

for every tyrant, a tear for the vulnerable

I'm all wiped out on words - I did some decent writing today, spread out over several sessions, which felt great. Much of it was done while sitting on my balcony this afternoon, which was good for my mood - I'm definitely ready for summer and outdoor time, although I doubt I'll get more of it this week.

Over the course of the day, I also took care of various house chores and chatted with [censored], who also availed himself of my balcony temporarily. Then I hit pause on the writing and did a speed clean upstairs - I was v. v. overdue to dust and vacuum my office, and I vacuumed my bedroom as well. Then I made burrito bowls for dinner, which [censored] and I enjoyed while catching up on a couple of episodes of SNL.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

light me up

I had a nice couple of days - yesterday wasn't worth blogging about because I worked all day and then slacked off to go buy groceries in the next town over before coming home and making pasta for dinner.

Today was moderately productive - I did some great writing, so I'm happy with that. I also helped [censored] pick up sticks at Mom and Dad's, of which there are plenty to go around. And I cleaned their grill and grilled some bacon wrapped sirloin that I picked up yesterday, which made for an excellent meal.

And now I need to sleep since I was already asleep while typing this - goodnight!

camera snapping, my eyes hurt

I had a fairly chill and productive day, all things considered. I got up and wrote before work, which felt great, and then I slogged pretty steadily all day. When I was done, I put some chicken and rice in the oven, and then I did a bit more work/writing while it was cooking (slowly). And then [censored] and I ate it while watching some tv. I still need to tweak the recipe - I used some bone-in skin-on breasts and I swear the temperature or the cook time isn't right because it takes way longer than I think it should, but at least the rice is tasty.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

don't you dare get comfortable

I had a long but good day - I didn't wake up very early and didn't push too hard because I was up so late last night. But I did get going, shower, do laundry, work, etc. Then I talked to my friend Tanya - we were overdue for a catch-up and it was great to chat. 

Then I did some more work and housework, had a few meetings, ate some frozen chicken tikka masala that I had in the freezer, and generally slogged. I stopped early for a library board meeting, which was fun and productive. Then I did home, sat on my balcony for a six pm call with Adit and Baz, ate an extremely fast dinner of sweet potato hash (from the freezer) and a fried egg, and sped back into town for PEO.

And now, it's abruptly time for bed - goodnight!

you're agitated, you're prayed and meditated, you're concentrated on getting elevated

I am v. tired but I had a reasonably good day (two days, since I didn't blog yesterday). I've fully re-entered the slog, mostly because it's the beginning of the quarter and I have a million things to do. So I worked all day yesterday, and then today I got up and worked some more. All my meetings went well, and I took care of some personal errands / tasks in a few spare moments.

Tonight, I went out to my parents' house and made them dinner. I hadn't seen them since the day before I went to Boston/NYC, so I decided not to wait for the weekend to see them. After my last meeting ended, I packed up a bag of supplies and went to their house, where I made shrimp alfredo. My dad seems to always like it, which is unusual given his taste bud issues, and it has the bonus of being v. easy to make.

So I cooked while I talked to my mom, and then the three of us hung out around the dinner table. All in all it was a nice night, and I only feel a tiny twinge of selfish regret for leaving the leftovers with them. Then I came home, tidied up the kitchen, and promptly took a v. ill-advised nap. I don't usually nap at 9pm, but I had a task that I promised my boss I would do tonight, and I was too tired to contemplate it immediately.

So I dozed / scrolled reddit / texted my college friends (today is the 20th anniversary of the release of SAHARA, which should be celebrated much more than it has been - and by that I mean no one has celebrated it). And then I eventually did the task for my boss, so at least I can cross that off my list.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

and don't be selfish and keep this all to yourself, and don't eat shellfish

I have returned to the place of my birth after a somewhat-delayed but otherwise smooth travel day. Sadly my flight was delayed by over two hours, but not in a way that enabled me to do much of anything fun. However, that meant I could take my time getting ready, and I was feeling zero stress getting to the airport. Also, I discovered that I could get into the Delta first class lounge with one of the perks of my Amex card, so the long wait was quite pleasant - I had a comfy chair, free lunch, free coke zero / rosé / coffee to give myself all the uppers/downers I desired, and space to write for awhile. So I did write, while also people watching, and it was a nice way to get some downtime before the flight.

Once we did board, the trip was uneventful, and I alternated between napping / journaling / reading to Des Moines. I must say that LaGuardia is quite nice and having a direct from Des Moines to NYC is a major bonus - so if I get a say in whether I visit the SF or NYC offices more frequently in the future, NYC does have some points in its favor.

So, after I landed, I retrieved my bags and my car, grabbed the last Starbucks of the foreseeable future, and drove home (with a stop for a v. necessary car wash). When I got here, it was a little after seven, and [censored] and I went into town to grab some groceries and Mexican takeout since I had no food or desire to cook. After we'd eaten and caught up, I partially unpacked, made a list of the million things I have to do tomorrow, and generally unwound.

And now I need to sleep if I'm going to do those million things - goodnight!

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!