don't bother fixing your hair if you've got nothing to wear

I had a long day of slogging, mostly because I shadowed an interview at 9am and then conducted an interview until 5pm, and I had meetings in between. But everything was fine, all in all, and then I slacked off to reheat various tings from the freezer stash. [Censored] wanted vegetable beef soup, and so I grabbed a cube of that - my souper cubes are a delight when it comes to freezing leftovers and then being able to stack them later. And I decided to eat some chicken chile verde that has been in the freezer way too long (but luckily was still delish). Of course, I couldn't defrost them in the microwave together, so the heating up process took a bit - but we were both satisfied and didn't have to do any real cooking so I'm calling it a win.

After that, I could have watched Olympics, but instead I retreated to my room and wrote/journaled/debated myself about various tings. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

even when the paths are all crookedy

The weather is turning, and I have a slow building headache that I blame on the cold. Today was mostly fine - I got plenty of sleep, had ham and beans for lunch, and knocked off at 5 to drink a glass of wine and do some journaling before dinner. I'm sure I should have worked, but that's a problem for Future Sara. 

Instead, [censored] and I ate last night's leftover pasta (still tasty) and watched the Olympics. I was delighted for the gold medalist in women's figure skating - she was my favorite at Worlds, and her comeback has been quite inspiring. I've been much less invested in this Olympics than usual, but at least I've been able to enjoy some good moments. 

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes

I've had a pretty good couple of days - busy, since I'm back at work, but it could be worse. Yesterday I had a million meetings, but I went out to Mom's for supper. She made me ham and beans (is that appropriate for Mardi Gras before Lent??), which were quite tasty and much appreciated. And then I came home and caught up on Olympics coverage - the women's short program had some unfortunate developments, but I was distracted by a project I'm working on and so wasn't completely invested. 

Today was more of the same, but luckily it was sunny, which always improves my mood. I had far more meetings than I like to, and I didn't really have time for lunch. So I cut out at five, bought some groceries, and made a new to me recipe. It was an orzo and chicken casserole, which was kind of funny bc I realized that orzo is meant to be shaped like rice - but since gluten free pasta is predominantly rice, that may have been an unnecessary processing element. 

But the dish was delicious, and I ate it while watching Olympics, which was great. And now I need sleep - godnight!

go for launch

I have been back in ye olde Iowa for a couple of days, but I haven't had the desire to blog (mostly because I have been staring at screens for other tings). Saturday's travels were about as smooth as they could be - I made it out of the rental house by 6:10am, and so had plenty of time at the airport to grab breakfast and coffee (and a little early morning free rosé) at the Chase Sapphire lounge before flying out. My connection in Denver was about as tight as I ever allow it to be (58min), but luckily we were early and my gates weren't as far apart as they sometimes are, so I had time to grab a Mediterranean bowl from Garbanzos on my way to boarding. I even had time to eat it in the gate area, so I wasn't a monster and didn't have to take food onto the plane.

The rest of Saturday was also uneventful - my bags came out quickly, my drive home was easy, and I had time to grab Starbucks and get my car washed on the way. Then, [censored] and I picked up takeout from El Vago, which was completely slammed for Valentines Day. And then I went to bed early in an attempt to recover from my mild sleep deficit from the retreat.

Yesterday was supremely low-key - I barely did anything, although I did go out to Mom's and hang out for awhile. I didn't even really do anything that would qualify as cooking, since I just pulled some ham balls and twice baked potatoes from the freezer and reheated them. But that was still a v tasty meal, which we enjoyed while watching some fine Olympics coverage.

Today was better than most Mondays, mostly because I had it off - so I got up and did some journaling / planning this morning, and then I ran into town to get allergy shots. When I got home, I made frozen fish and fries for lunch for me and [censored], since there were no leftovers in the fridge. And then I spent approximately seven of the last ten hours playing with Claude Code - I feel like I need to get more up to speed on the more technical applications of AI, and so I'm doing a little mini project for myself to teach myself some tings. My eyeballs feel like they're about to fall out of my head, but my experimentation today was illuminating, so we shall see what else I come up with.

At some point I took a break to make dinner - [censored] suggested I put leftover queso from Saturday on today's leftover fries, and I realized that I could also add carnitas from the freezer. That sounds kind of sad to combine leftovers from three different meals, but I heated it all up optimally, and the result was amazing. I ate it while watching tonight's Olympics coverage, where I was delighted for the women's bobsled winner (finally got gold at the age of 41, after many other medals!), and was also thrilled that the Japanese pair won the pairs' gold since they were my favorites at Worlds last year. And I kept an eye on the ISU/Houston score, which turned out great. So all in all it was a great night for sports, which may be the only thing humans have left after AI takes over, so I'm glad it all went well.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

i can ride my bike with no handlebars

I had a lovely final day of my retreat, although I'm v. sad that it's over. I spent the morning drinking coffee and writing, and then I ordered a poke bowl and ate it while setting up tonight's dinner order. I spent most of the afternoon outside, writing (perhaps dozing) in the sun, and hanging out with Barbara and Grace in our usual spot. Then I treated myself to half an hour sitting in the sand and watching the waves, which was a lovely end to the day.

Eventually, I went upstairs to join the business meeting, and we interrupted it to take a few group photos as the sun set. Dinner arrived shortly thereafter, and the Mexican place I found tonight seemed much better than the one earlier in the week, so I definitely overstuffed myself. Then I hurriedly packed everything so I could drag my suitcase upstairs tonight - I have to leave the house around 6am tomorrow, and I didn't think I would want to drag all my stuff up the equivalent of 2-3 flights of (outdoor, slightly uneven) stairs at that hour.

But I finished packing quickly, so I was able to spend another hour hanging out with the remaining crew in the living room (Barbara, Anne, Rachel, Tina, and Melissa - Melissa was a new addition this year, but we have much in common since she was at Stanford twenty years before me and also went to the Nationals figure skating competition this year like I went to Worlds last year). And now I should probably go to bed in deference to tomorrow's early start.

But before I go to bed, I should tell you - the friend I mentioned earlier last week who was in the Bad Bunny halftime show? It was Adit, my erstwhile former roommate; some people call him the cat. You can read this post if you want to get the details.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

i've been thinking may...maybe you're right

Today I hit a wall, which usually happens around this point in the retreat - I slept somewhat poorly and didn't want to do anything today. It didn't help that I showered early (to take a single 8am meeting before being off for the day), and ran out of hot water just as I had conditioned my hair. I kept telling myself that the cold was invigorating, but it was really just terrible.

Then I went out and got coffee, spent the morning journaling / dozing, ate some leftover Indian food, and attempted to write outside during the afternoon with mixed results. Then I took a long nap in my bed (after a short nap outside), and awoke with a sudden flash of clarity about some writing tings, which was good. But I didn't have time to pursue them - I met Anne for some mildly illicit behavior on the beach, and we watched the sun go down while freezing and talking about AI.

Then the group went for dinner, which was a bust for me - the food overall seemed to be good enough, but the service was poor and they forgot my entree entirely, and didn't bring it until everyone else had already been done for 10-20 minutes. They did comp it after I complained enough and said that giving me a free dessert wasn't good enough; and then they brought dessert for the table as an apology, but I couldn't eat the dessert anyway. However, they did ultimately give me my entree, and I boxed it immediately so we could leave, and then I ate it while sitting in the living room, which was almost preferable because we could hear each other. In the end, this wasn't the end of the world - but I suspect Barbara and I will conspire to do our dinner out elsewhere next time.

And now, I need to sleep - I have high hopes for the last day of the retreat tomorrow, and I want to be well rested for it. Goodnight!

harness the light

I had to do my day job yesterday and today, which was not entirely what I wanted to do in Carlsbad - but I feel better knowing that I'm still slightly caught up at work, and so it wasn't as annoying as it could have been. Last night I also dialed into my local city council meeting so that I could help ensure that we had quorum, and tonight I dialed into my library board meeting, so I managed to keep up my Iowa civic engagement despite luxuriating in coastal life.

Today felt slightly less luxurious, mostly because it rained all morning - but rainy oceans are still picturesque. And since I'm sharing a two-bedroom section of our enormous rental with Grace (in which we have our own kitchen and laundry), I was able to chat her up while eating leftovers and doing laundry during my breaks, so that was still a delight.

I wrapped everything up today by 4:30, just in time for our usual business discussion - and I was much more engaged tonight because we were talking about AI, which is my current hot topic obsession. We wrapped up when dinner arrived, and Luna Grill was as tasty as it is every year (as was the wine I got delivered). I spent the post-prandial discussion time chatting with Anne and various other characters, and then I came downstairs and did a bit of work (mostly managing to unsubscribe from Evernote, which has been a long national nightmare that has cost me several hundred dollars from failing to cancel in previous years...but it took me several hours over the past few days to deal with, so it's no surprise I hadn't done it before).

When that was over, Grace happened to be getting in the hot tub, so I joined her, and it was a rare delight to catch up in such pleasant surroundings. And now I'm going to bed - goodnight!

they justify my claims

I had an excellent day in Carlsbad - I wrote early, grabbed brunch nearby, did a quick perusal of the nearby shops to see if anything struck my fancy, and then spent another couple of hours doing various writing related tasks. Then I got a spur of the moment manicure, which felt great. And I spent the rest of the day doing a bit more work, talking shop with the writers, and then catching up with Anne, V, Rachel, Melissa, and Grace.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

debí tirar más fotos

I had an excellent first day of my retreat. I slept better than I ever have on a retreat thanks to getting a room in a quieter part of the rental (and thanks to my own pillow). Then I woke up and went out to grab coffee - sadly the Starbucks closed, but I got a passable cold brew elsewhere.

I did quite a bit of good writing work today while sitting outside - it was gorgeous and sunny here, and I browned up my arms a bit while brainstorming. I mostly hung out with Barbara and Grace, but I had some late afternoon time with Anne and Tina, and then we watched the Super Bowl halftime show. I had no interest in the game, but I like Bad Bunny (he is particularly excellent as an SNL host, although that's obvi not what he's known for). And one of my friends was in the halftime show as one of the trees - I can't say who because I don't know if it's public, but that was pretty exciting (although they could have been lying, since it was impossible to tell the trees apart).

After that, we ordered Mexican food, hung out, and then watched some Olympics coverage. And now I need to sleep so I can have a productive day tomorrow - goodnight!

fate of ophelia

I'm exhausted and going to bed immediately (at ten pm PT, which is unheard of for me at a retreat). But my travels were incredibly smooth today despite being lengthy - I had a three hour layover in Denver, which I put to good use by drinking rosé and eating a Caesar salad and doing some (personal) work.

I got to the retreat house just as checkin began, which was good timing. I drew a pretty bad number in the room drawing process (11/15 - there are 16 people here but Barbara doesn't draw) - but I somehow got one of my top four choices because other people's priorities are v strange. So between the room location + bringing my own pillow I'm hopeful that I'll sleep better than I usually do on these trips, although we'll see.

And now I'm desperate for sleep - goodnight!

great divide

I am heading to Carlsbad for my annual writing retreat tomorrow, and I'm shockingly packed and in bed before eleven for a nine am flight. The bad news is that I didn't get to watch any of the Olympics opening ceremonies tonight, which is a tragedy. But I'm sure I'll somehow survive. 

I almost didn't go on this trip - work had been busy and I wasn't sure this was a good time to take off. But now that it's settled, I'll glad I'm going. Unfortunately I'll have to work a couple of days while I'm gone, but that's not the end of the world.

My day was otherwise pretty standard - I got up and slogged v effectively for several hours, showered when I should have had lunch, and had lunch while I was in my meetings. I was done around six, and then I picked up pizza for me and Mom and [censored]. And then I finished packing, and now it's time to sleep - goodnight!

i'll be looking out night and day

The last couple of days have been fairly decent, although I could use some bright sun at some point. Yesterday I got up early, slogged for awhile, had lunch, and then went with Mom to an eye appointment. My presence wasn't strictly necessary, but driving with dilation is not fun, so I was happy to do it. Then I got home, ran a quick errand with [censored], and spent the rest of the evening working / journaling / reading / etc.

Today was pretty chill - I got up and started working immediately, and eventually took a quick shower before my first meeting. Then I got allergy shots, which took awhile because they were backed up, but I was able to do some work from the clinic while waiting to see if the allergy shots would kill me (spoiler: they didn't).

Then I came home, put together a burrito bowl with leftovers from the fridge, and had a long work chat with Adit. After that, I slogged the rest of the day, and while I didn't get done as much as I probably should have, it felt like a win. I spent the evening doing various tings around the house, attempting some writing, doing some writing-related work, and generally unwinding. And now it's a little later than I had planned to go to bed, so I should sleep immediately - goodnight!

integrity, faith, and crocodile tears

I had a pretty good weekend, all in all. Yesterday I didn't get nearly enough done, but I did go to Gloria's birthday party, which was v. fun. It was supposed to be a surprise, although it wasn't quite as much a surprise as intended - but the turnout was really good and she was clearly delighted. I spent the party talking to a variety of former teachers and old neighbors, and I also got some extremely hot gossip (pun very unintentional) of a sad nature, which are descriptors that usually don't go together. Then, I spent the rest of the afternoon attempting to self-motivate (but mostly drinking hot chocolate), and then [censored] and I went out to Mom's for dinner.

Today was more productive, albeit a bit sad - I was thinking of Uncle Mark today and can’t believe it’s been seven years. So I spent the morning reading, drinking coffee, and doing various writing-type things. At some point I took a break to watch ISU destroy KSU, which was fun. I then spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning, organizing, finally unpacking from my last trip, and then making dinner (mostly a variety of rices to eat with the pork I made on Friday, and then to freeze with it). And then [censored] and I ate dinner while watching last night's SNL + some of tonight's Grammys.

Sadly, I had to finish the night by doing some day job stuff, but I got through what I wanted to get through, and now I desperately need to sleep. Goodnight!

I gave your name as my emergency phone call

I have had an exceedingly boring week, made more boring by the fact that it's been zero degrees outside more times than I think it legally should be, even in winter. I've been alternating between slogging, cooking, writing (a little), and procrastinating (a lot), so I have had nothing to report. 

But today was nice despite all that. I woke up and decided to make carnitas, because I went to the grocery store yesterday and found a pork butt that was on sale for a dollar a pound. It was so cheap because it expired yesterday, but I bought it anyway. It was almost nine pounds, and so I ended up trying two different carnitas recipes - I put one chunk in the crock pot for ten hours, and I cut the other chunk up and baked it later. Both had orange juice, garlic, and onion, but the crock pot version had a rub of cumin and oregano, while the baked version had bay leaves and a cinnamon stick. 

I thought they both turned out great - unfortunately [censored] doesn't really like pork and so this bounty is wasted on him, but my tacos were v tasty. They would have been better with a proper salsa verde, but I can't get such a thing here and my salsa stockpiles are low. But now I have leftovers + will freeze a bunch for Future Sara, which is quite exciting. 

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

chimes

I have nothing to report - I have just been slogging and trying to stay warm. I did do some writing last night and tonight, but it's rough going - I would find it easier at a coffee shop or wine bar, but those things are in short supply here. But my day overall was good, and now it's time for bed - goodnight!

send lawyers guns and money

I have apparently not blogged in several days - I blame a perfect storm of factors (pun intended).

Thursday was my last full day in SF and I slogged relentlessly before meeting Lauren (aka subz) for dinner at Rooh. She was in fine form and we enjoyed dinner v tasty Indian food - and a surprise sighting of our old boss from India, who was completely shocked to see us (and probably to see us together, since most work friendships don't survive a couple of decades and continents). Then I had to pack as fast as possible because...

Friday I was supposed to leave SF at the civilized hour of 1pm, but with the massive weather issues happening this weekend, and the fact that I had only a thin coat, fingerless gloves (cashmere, but still fingerless), and a hat I stole from the office swag closet meant that I thought it prudent to get into Des Moines during daylight hours. So I flew out of SF at 5am, which was as painful as it sounds. There weren't any restaurants open then, but luckily our robot overlords/underlings never sleep, so I got a decent latte from a robot barista before boarding. My Denver layover was a hike but went fine, we were delayed an hour by deicing plus a maintenance issue, but I made it to Des Moines by early afternoon and was able to grab groceries on the drive south. 

When I got home, I said hello to [censored], unloaded my car without freezing my ears off, and then made chicken and rice for dinner. And then I went to bed early ish and accidentally slept for ten+ hours, which was great. 

Yesterday I did basically nothing. But I did heat up some ham balls to take to Mom's, which we enjoyed with her scalloped potatoes and baked beans. And then I did more nothing and went to bed. 

Today it was still brutally cold, but it was sunny and well reflected by the snow, so I was in a decent mood. I did a bunch of cleaning, a bunch of laundry, a bunch of podcast listening, and also made a gigantic batch of beef stew. And now, I need to sleep since work is going to be busy busy busy this week - goodnight!

sleep tomorrow but tonight go crazy

No blog tonight - I had a v good day at work, but I got up early so I could grab Philz and make it to the office before an 8:30 meeting, and then I slogged relentlessly all day. Eventually I cut out so that I could meet Veronica for dinner at Beretta, which was excellent (and featured a surprise run-in with Katrina as I stepped out of the Uber, who discovered me cheating on her with Veronica at a restaurant that Katrina and I often go to).

But now I need to sleep so that I can make it through my last full day in SF tomorrow - goodnight!

long train running

I slogged completely incessantly all day, starting at 7:20 when I realized I had a meeting at 7:30 (that is usually at 9:30 in Iowa) and still hadn't showered. I made it through the shower in record time, took the call with my camera off, did another call, dashed to the office, and was in meetings straight until five. 

After that I continued to hang out with work people, but that involved drinks at True Laurel and dinner at Heirloom, where I had a v excellent duck and some surprisingly good wine. Yes, Adit was involved; no, we did not go off the rails. But now I need to sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow- goodnight!

brightest lights

I had a chill day, sort of - my morning was more chill than I planned, and then I drove to a random Philz somewhere and worked for a few hours. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my day off, but it wasn't all bad. In some ways it's nice to go into tomorrow not feeling completely behind, although I never exactly feel caught up. 

All of this happened before a 5pm dinner with the friendship renewal crew (Jen, Jane, and Joann). We went to Seapot, which is a hot pot place I'd been to before, and it was quite tasty. It was a little more chaotic than I would have preferred for a proper catch up after being separated for too long, but it was still fun and I got the high level overview of what my friends are up to. 

Then I dropped my rental car off at SFO, and endured an absurd wait for an Uber. It became clear that no one wanted to pick someone up at the rental car center (I assume it's either inconvenient for them to get to or they assume the clientele is worse). So I took the airtrain two stops to the Grand Hyatt, which is v nice, and I was promptly picked up by an excellent Uber, so the airtrain gamble was worth it.

And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

working on mysteries without any clues

I had a lovely day in the city of sin. I got up at a reasonable hour and went to Blue Bottle, where I drank some New Orleans iced coffee and planned my week. Then I got ready, retrieved my car, and drove to the dirty east bay to have lunch with John and Jess. We went to Saul's in celebration of old times, and it was a delight to see them (and their child, and their child's friend, who I mentally call Yahtzee even though that's not his name).

Then I took the long way (by distance, not time) back into the city, which meant going over the Golden Gate Bridge yet again on this trip. I spent a couple of hours hanging out at fort mason/the marina, where I bought some art supplies, grabbed some coffee, and talked to my mom while taking in the view of the water. 

Then I came back to my hotel, vegged, ordered takeout sushi, journaled, and generally wasn't quite as productive as I wanted to be, but c'est la vie. Goodnight!

cozy era

I need to go to bed immediately since I'm falling asleep, but I had a great day in the city of sin - I got a bunch of sleep, talked to Katie for quite some time since we hadn't caught up in a coon's age, had an extended brunch with Katrina at Nopalito, and then did some work at Arbor in Hayes Valley. And then I had a v leisurely dinner with Claudia at Coqueta, where we had excellent tapas and even more excellent conversation. 

But now I'm desperate to sleep - goodnight!

they're gonna eat me alive

No blog tonight - I got up early enough to grab philz on my way to the office, and then I slogged all day. I ran some errands in japantown after, grabbed some pizza at delfina, and was back at my hotel by 7:45.... Where I proceeded to doze the rest of the night bc I'm in a deep sleep deficit. And now I'm going to bed for real - goodnight!

you make me glow

I had a nice morning even though I got less than four hours of solid sleep and wanted to die as a result. I had breakfast, then used the steam room and hot tub, which made me want such things in my bathhouse. Then a group of us set off toward SF in three cars, but we stopped for lunch at Boon Fly, which was delightful. 

I did a tiny bit of work when I got back, chatted with Adit, and then checked into my hotel, drove straight to Burlingame, and had dinner with Anne and Barbara. And now I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

i would come back a thousand times

The first part of this is what I started writing at one am last night...

I had an excellent day at my offsite, including many meetings, many opportunities to consume food, a v fun ceramic etching class at a winery, and more drinks + book club + more dinner + more drinks. Book club was v fun since we were in person for the first time ever and also some of us thought it was terrible while others thought it was great.

//

That's where I fell asleep, but unfortunately I only got five v fitful hours before waking up. I had a massage this morning that I didn't want to miss (rough life), so I overcame my extreme apathy for waking up + my mild hangover to go to the spa. It was definitely worth it and also definitely sad that I had to immediately shower and lead a breakout.

But the meetings were all good, I ate many tasty snacks, and I got a nap around 3:30, which is all I wanted. Then I grabbed a wine tasting with Adit, Emily, and Baz, which is a core group of favorites. And then we went to the team dinner, which was delicious, and I closed out the after-party tonight with Adit and Martha, which is exactly what happened last night (although I drank much less tonight and so have high hopes for my sleep).

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

tell me never

I'm too wiped out to blog but I had a lovely day - I woke up v early, packed, checked out, grabbed a gigantic cold brew, and went to the office to work on slides. I had one long meeting, and then six of us went on an expedition toward wine country - which involved lunch in Berkeley and then a nice tasting excursion. Then I checked into my hotel, did a bit of work, had dinner, hung out, and escaped unusually early (for me) to do some more work. And now I need to sleep immediately - goodnight!

busy child

I had a v busy but lovely day in the city by the bay. I woke up relatively early this morning and spent a pleasant / frustrating hour finishing reading the book for this week's work book club, which was (in my opinion) badly written but full of interesting ideas that weren't fully developed.

Then I did a bit of work, showered, and drove to Corte Madera, where I grabbed lunch, grabbed a couple of tings at Sephora, and then worked at philz for several hours to prep for this offsite this week. Since I basically foisted this offsite on everyone, I feel some duty to make sure it goes well, and so we shall see if I have prepped enough (right now I feel like I haven't, but there is still time tomorrow). Then I got a mani/pedi before going to my friend Grace's.

Grace made an extremely delicious dinner (including a salad that would be like a hundred dollars at Restoration Hardware), and I enjoyed hanging out with her and Brian and Brendan. I had never seen her new house even though she moved a couple of years ago, and seeing her was worth the drive.

But leaving there at 8:30 meant getting to my hotel at 9:30, and I need to go to bed immediately if I'm going to get up in time to check out and do some work before the shenanigans start. Goodnight!

measly means

I am ensconced in a hotel near the airport, which is not where I usually stay (although I have stayed here before), but it was convenient for the next couple of days. Getting out of my house today was a bit of a mad dash, as it always is, but I made it to the airport with enough time to eat a burger and have a glass of rosé, so I timed it just right. I was also upgraded on the flight to Denver, which made the flight to SF even more painful since I was but upgraded and was in a row with a woman whose small dog was very unhappy to be flying and let everyone know it through most of the flight. 

However, I had headphones and the book I need to finish for my work book club, so I survived. Getting out of SFO was about as smooth as possible, and I had my bags + rental car + keys to my hotel room within 60-75min, which I will totally take.

I spent the rest of the evening unpacking a few tings, eating a pizza that I got delivered since I didn't feel like going out, and reading some more. And now I need to sleep - or finish the book, but sleep is prob a better idea. Goodnight!

slumber lands

I have been slogging relentlessly the last few days, but I have prioritized sleep well enough that I'm not dying despite feeling like I've worked excessively. I'm going to California for an offsite next week, and since I was the one who 1) said we should have an offsite, 2) planned it, and 3) made myself responsible for the content, I suppose I need to get everything done and show up. I haven't had a chance to plan much personal stuff in SF after the offsite yet, but perhaps that's something I can do from the plane. Or perhaps I'll just show up and hope people are around.

sssanyway, my week has been good. Wednesday I slogged, made some turkey and white bean chili for dinner, and then watched the second half of the ISU/Baylor game with [censored]. Thursday I slogged, drove to the next town over for a dentist appointment (where I made an excellent joke about donkeys), came home, slogged some more, and then had my first city council meeting as an elected official. So far so good, although I look forward to seeing what the populace will bring up in future sessions. Today, I had allergy shots, ran some errands (including to the lumber yard, where I made an excellent joke about strippers, unrelated to yesterday's donkey joke), came home, and slogged.

But I was done by 5:15, and then [censored] and I picked up Mom and went to Seymour for prime rib. Then we came home and I spent the last four hours tidying up my room and figuring out what to pack. I don't really want to do laundry on my trip, but I'm also traveling for many days, so it's tempting to take everything I own. So far I think I have the right mix of stuff, although I may sleep on it and completely change my mind in the morning.

But now I need to sleep since I need to get out of here tomorrow morning - goodnight!

sun ain't shining no more

I have reentered the work slog - it was nice while most people were out of office, but now it's a firehose of catching up and preparing for the upcoming year. 

So I slogged all day yesterday and celebrated with a frozen pizza - somehow the local Hy-Vee has the best gf frozen pizza I've ever found. Today I got up and slogged again, rather manically bc I had many hours of meetings in a row where I actually had to participate. But I did do some writing last night and again this morning, which was a real win. 

After work, my mom came over and we ate leftover chicken and wild rice soup, which was tasty. Then I washed a sweater, packed up a table to return (it was for my chaise lounge in my bedroom and it unfortunately arrived damaged, which is real annoying bc it's literally 45lbs and I didn't find the damage until after I'd unboxed it and carried it upstairs), and did various other tasks. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

road shimmer wiggling the vision

I was reasonably productive today, despite staying up far too late last night reading that stupid book (which I should continue reading tonight, but I shall not). I got up later than I had intended to, but I spent quite a bit of quality time writing today, which I will take. I also took a shower, got groceries, made some chicken and wild rice soup, hand washed several sweaters, cleaned the kitchen, watered plants, and did some day job stuff.

So, all in all, it was not the most exciting day, but I'm just a little bit better set up for the week than I could have been, so I'll take it. Goodnight!

dude don't take it personal

So far my new year is off to a reasonably good start. I spent some time on new years day journaling and setting up my planner, and then I made prosciutto wrapped chicken breasts to take out to Mom's for dinner. We played two games of ticket to ride and [censored] won one and Mom won the other, which was great for them I guess. The only good news was that [censored] somehow managed to lose points at the end of the game, which never happens, and I had to take that as a consolation prize for not winning myself. 

Yesterday I had to work, and I had to do it while slightly itchy because I had to get allergy shots. I only had four hours of meetings, which was both chill and an ominous prelude to everyone coming back online Monday. 

Today I decided to do various things around the house, mostly successfully. I also wrote for awhile, also mostly successfully. Then I made chicken Alfredo pasta for me and [censored], which we ate while catching up on the last SNL episodes that we hadn't seen - the random duet with Jane Wickline and "Lil Jon" was a highlight, but there were some other v funny moments. And then I crawled into bed and spent a couple of hours reading SECRET OF SECRETS - it's the latest Dan Brown book, and it's fairly terrible, but we're reading it for book club at work and I decided to go with it.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!