we were talking to the sunset, throwing dreams against the wall

I had a v nice day, mostly because I decided to take it off. I had intended to get up and at 'em early, but I wasn't feeling a hundred percent, so I slept in a bit and then took my time with my cold brew and some chatting with [censored]. I also did some pantry reorganizing in preparation for a massive restock, and I took care of various tings around the house. 

Eventually, though, I drove to Des Moines - I decided to go to the state fair, which I hadn't been to since before the pandemic. It was a bit of a speed run since it was crazy hot and I was just trying to hit the highlights - but I got an egg on a stick from the egg producers, saw the butter cow, hit up varied industries, checked out the dwindling 4-H exhibits, saw the Big Ram that might set a Guinness record for biggest ram ever, tasted some Iowa wines, and had some excellent gluten free fair food - namely a gf lobster corn dog and some birria pupusas, both of which were quite tasty. 

Eventually, though, I was too hot and tired to continue, so I got to my hotel, napped a bit, showered, and had a late order of fries and a glass of rosé to close the day. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

you were unsuspecting, not unwarned

I have had nothing to report the last few days - I have just been working, and occasionally writing or journaling, and occasionally checking on my gardens. It didn't help that it was cloudy and/or rainy most of the week, which always messes with my mood. 

But I celebrated a solo day in my house on Tuesday by making eight pounds of carnitas - perhaps more carnitas than is strictly necessary for one person (or for two people when one of them doesn't like pork), but I was happy to have it. And work has been fine overall, although it's always tempting to run away. And I had a fun catch-up with my friend Alex from my last stint at the goog - I apparently haven't been back to Boulder in almost three years, which I need to rectify asap.

But now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

and they try to keep us all down

I have nothing of interest to report - I spent yesterday (Sunday) slogging in a truly excessive manner on a variety of personal / writing / house tasks. That felt good in the moment, especially since I managed to be productive despite the weather and my own Sunday inclinations - but I knew that it would probably sabotage my slide into the work week, and I was mostly right about that.

However, I got up this morning and managed to do several things that I need to get done before my meetings started. At some point I took a break to go into town and get allergy shots, which was a necessary evil. And I spent the early evening wrapping up my tax prep - yes, it's four months after tax day, but I filed for an extension, and the time has finally come to settle up.

After I was done with that, I couldn't bear to look at screens, so I journaled on my balcony until the mosquitoes came out, and then I read a bit of a book. And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

do you know the muffin man

I am running out of lyrics, which makes it hard to motivate myself to blog since coming up with a title is half the battle. I suppose I could get AI to help me with this, but that seems like a silly use of resources - but I supposed I have used resources in worse ways, so idk.

Yesterday I was v. v. productive at work, and then I made chicken orzo pasta for dinner before watching some tv with [censored] and finishing a book (MONSTER OF A LAND, which I quite enjoyed). So, after those feats of productivity, it's not really a surprise that I was somewhat useless today, although I had had higher hopes for myself. I did do some writing, and some messing around with various online tasks. I also consulted with [censored] at various points on the improvements he is making to the garage - [censored] hung cabinets today, which he had built, which is significantly more effort than I put into such things. But they look good and it will be great to have some counter space in the garage, so everything is coming up Sara.

Beyond that, I also did some checking up on my gardens (I am about to be inundated in peppers, and I hope I am similarly inundated in tomatoes). I sat outside for approximately twenty minutes but it was too hot even to sit in the shade. And I purged my bathroom storage to get rid of various expired or disliked skincare and cosmetics, which felt good.

When evening rolled around, [censored] and I went out to Mom's for dinner. She made v. tasty fried potatoes and baked beans, and I grilled hamburgers, and it was all good. And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

the lights are turning red

I have had many interesting conversations this week since I've actually gone out into the world several times, but as is the case with small town life, it's best not to document those encounters. But I had an economic development board meeting Tuesday morning, city council Tuesday night, a quick meeting with Brenda and Bonita yesterday (over margaritas), and several excursions to water planters in town with my mom. And I have been slogging very diligently this week, which means my brain is a little fried.

So, in an effort to unfry myself, I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

let the beat drop

Today was a very Monday kind of Monday. I woke up, poured some cold brew, and attempted to write with mixed results (not zero results, which is good; but not enough results to satisfy me). I got interrupted by some sirens, which turned into me and [censored] listening to the scanner, which sounded potentially tragic for a few minutes - but even though they had lifeflight on standby for what sounded like a farm accident, the victim refused treatment, so I guess that's good?

After that excitement, I got back to day job stuff and slogged v. diligently all day. This went on until around 6pm, when Mom picked me up and we watered the planters in town. Then I came home, was desperate for a break from all screens, and so sat on my balcony (even though it was too hot) and drank rosé while reading a book, which went a long way toward restoring me.

Eventually, though, I was too hungry to continue. So, I shucked some sweet corn and boiled it, which [censored] and I ate with a container of four ham balls that I'd found in the freezer from Christmas (and were remarkably still pretty good after 7.5mo). Then I cleaned up the kitchen, came back upstairs, and read for another couple of hours. And now I need to go to sleep since I have many meetings and many tings to do tomorrow - goodnight!

scheming on a thing that's a mirage, i'm trying to tell you now it's sabotage

I apparently have not blogged since Tuesday, which is perhaps a new record. I have had basically nothing to report, and have also gotten into a bad habit of falling asleep on my chaise at nine, waking up at 10:30, and then staying up until after midnight, which is really cramping my style (and making blogging unappealing).

But I had a decent enough week despite all that, at least as far as I can remember. Wednesday I slogged, and then took a break from cooking by picking up pizza for dinner. Thursday I also slogged, and then subsisted on leftovers - and then spent the evening reading the book for my work book club. We read 'Small Things Like These', which was like seventy pages long, and so I had no excuse not to read it - and it was pretty good, albeit depressing.

Friday, I slogged (again), and it was all alternating between boring and annoying, but I got through the day. [Censored] and I ended up watching a recent podcast between Neal Brennan and Craig Ferguson that was an absolute delight - Craig's still got it, although it's hard to believe the late night scene is totally dead now.

Yesterday, I woke up and did some fertilizing of my patio tomatoes - they aren't producing much, and while some of it is due to the extreme heat we've had, and other issues are due to the inconsistent watering caused by heavy rains, I think they need some extra fertilizer help. Then I scrambled to get ready and go into town - it was Old Settlers this weekend, and I was working the library book sale yesterday morning. The book sale turnout was quite good and I had fun hanging out with Sammi while we sold books. Turnout for the rest of the festival seemed pretty light, so I'll be curious to hear the full debrief from various folks over the next few days.

Then I picked up sweet corn from a vendor on the square, skipped the parade, came home, and spent the afternoon working on my taxes (something most people do in the spring, but I had to file for an extension and then had no incentive to finish). In the evening, I took the corn + some steaks out to Mom's, where I grilled while [censored] worked on the gator. We had a v. nice supper, and then I came home and spent the evening journaling, falling asleep early, and then scrolling too late.

Today was more of the same - I drank cold brew, journaled for awhile, watered the patio plants, and then let myself get sucked into several hours of screen time while working on my taxes / finances. This made me very fatigued and completely hangry, but it was better than doomscrolling. I also took various moments to help [censored] with the garage remodel, which is proceeding apace (and with very little effort on my side, which is great / slightly guilt-inducing).

By four p.m. I really needed to do something other than look at my laptop, so I took a shower, and then Mom and I watered the planters in town together. When I got home, I tended to my raised beds, which I've somewhat neglected - I needed to do some florida weaving on my tomatoes and tomatillos to better support them, and then I fertilized the raised beds too. This all took a lot longer than it might sound, but the effort was hopefully worth it.

Then, I took another shower since gardening worked up quite a sweat. I drank a glass of rosé while reading on my balcony, and then [censored] and I ate leftovers and watched the first three episodes of 'Stuart Fails to Save the Universe', which is pretty good so far. And now I need to unwind and go to bed - goodnight!

i'm the trouble ahead

I did nothing noteworthy today - I had too many meetings to enable me to get anything done, so I mostly just slogged. And then I spent the evening making dinner (which is perhaps overstating the effort, since it was quite easy) - I marinated some skirt steak, made some spanish rice, and then grilled the skirt steak in a race against both floods and wasps (floods because it rained twenty minutes after I was done grilling; wasps because the grill started to smoke out a nest of wasps hanging from my eaves, which was not a helpful development).

But the skirt steak turned out quite well, and I sliced it thinly so that [censored] and I could eat it with rice and beans and sour cream and salsa. I sat around for quite awhile after, but then I cleaned up the kitchen, came upstairs, attempted to journal, and started to fall asleep. So I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

nothing's as it seems

I had an excellent final day in the city of sin, but I need to go to bed immediately since I have an earlyish flight tomorrow. I spent the morning doing various tings around the hotel before going to senspa for a long massage, steam room, general hangout. Then I had a very late lunch at Pizzeria Delfina, where I journaled in the sun v enjoyably. I did a small bit of shopping while walking back to my hotel, and then I rewarded my efforts with a nap.

This evening, I did some packing, and then I hung out with Chandlord. She v kindly came to the Kabuki, so we hung out at the lobby bar and ate snacks and talked about life and work (work is life) for a few hours. And then I came upstairs to finish packing, and now it's time for bed - goodnight!

brightest light

I had a lovely day in the city of sin. I perhaps should have gone to the office, but I assumed no one else would, so I worked from my hotel instead. This made for a pretty chill day, especially since I was able to doordash a gluten free bagel with salmon, and also avail myself of several cups of the hotel's free coffee.

So I worked all day (with a secret nap break). And then I went out to Ocean Beach to hang out with Veronica. Since I went to her house, we were not at all rushed, and I had a wonderful time hanging out + eating Indian food + drinking plenty of perfectly chilled white wine. We were v overdue to catch up - I missed her on my last trip in April, and so I hadn't seen her since Carlsbad, which is nearly unforgivable. But we caught up properly tonight, and I'm v glad we did.

And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

love was a cold bed full of scorpions

No blog tonight - I got up, went to the office, and slogged all day (with several walking 1:1s to break things up, and also some v entertaining conversations with some of my favorite people). Then I took bart to Oakland, where I met up with John and Jess for some tasty Korean food. They were in fine form and so was the tofu we consumed, so that was fun. And then I took an Uber back to the city, where I have been lazy until suddenly realizing it's bedtime. Goodnight!

put your ear up to me and you might hear the ocean

I had a reasonably good day that ended well, so I'll take it. I unfortunately woke up in the middle of the night and had trouble going back to sleep, so I was dragging a bit this morning. But since v few people go into the office on Wednesdays, and since I had some stuff that required focus, I worked from my hotel until lunch. This also involved some early morning journaling, which was nice. And I got a gluten free bagel delivered, which was excellent, so I headed to the office in good shape.

I spent the afternoon mostly talking to people - since I'm here to see my team, I went for walks for the two people on my team who came into the office today, which was v nice. And eventually I left to catch the train (yay for trains) to Burlingame to see Lauren (aka Subz) at Mykonos. We have been friends for twenty-one years, which feels surreal, and she is just as great as ever. I had mdised her on my last trip because I got sick when I was supposed to see her, so I'm glad I caught her this time.

After we were done, I took an Uber back to the city of sin, and now I'm going to go to bed early in an attempt to recover from last night's lack of sleep before tomorrow's insane run of meetings. Goodnight!

moving out

I had a v v busy day today - my first meeting was at eight am and I only had 30min of break between 8 and 4, which is not enough. And then I dragged everyone to happy hour at 4:30, which was v nice but also continued to deplete my dwindling energy reserves. 

But all in all it was a v nice day, and I restored myself with a sandwich from Ike's when I got back to the hotel, so I think I'll survive another day. But I'm going to go to bed early in hopes of restoring myself even more - goodnight!

every second I waste is more than I can take

I had a pretty good day in the city of sin - I got up, did some work at the hotel, took an Uber to the office, and then slogged all day. But I ate a v tasty lunch and also dragged my coworkers out for coffee, which was great.

As soon as the day was done, I escaped to 20 Spot, where I met Martha for a drink. This turned into three drinks each + a shared salad, which was perhaps not the appropriate ratio, but it was v enjoyable and long overdue. Eventually it was time to part ways, so I got a waymo back to my hotel and ordered some enchiladas on doordash to get delivered shortly after my arrival. This made some progress toward restoring me, but sleep feels even more important right now, so I'm going to bed. Goodnight!

you're putting money on red, i'm a sure bet at a losing streak

I am still v tired and all my various fitness trackers are flashing warning signs over my sleep, but I had an excellent day in the city of sin. I got up early, likely due to jetlag (since I didn't want to be awake) and did some writing in bed. Then I went downstairs, availed myself of the free coffee, and journaled for a bit. I also did some work, which I did not want to do, but that does occasionally need to happen if I want to keep my job.

Then I showered, got ready, and walked down to Divis to have lunch with Katrina at Beretta. This is one of our old standbys since we like their gluten free pizza, and it was a v chill place to spend a couple of hours (despite them acting like it might fill up, there were never more than four tables of people, which I found to be strangely hilarious). Katrina and I had not caught up in many months and so we had many things to discuss - and I'm sure we could have kept going, but at some point I started yawning (due to my exhaustion, not the conversation, since the conversation was fascinating!) and it became time to part ways.

So I came back to my hotel and started to take a nap - but then got a call from Claudia asking where I was, since her day plans had brought her into the city early. She and Chandlord and I were supposed to have dinner, but Chandlord failed to plan for it ("el stupido", as she said), and so it was just me and Claude. Since we had no other constraints, we met at my hotel at 4, and we walked over to Fillmore. We ended up at Little Shucker, which is where I was yesterday, and so I got another dose of oysters and another glass of rosé to round out my weekend.

We had a delightful time catching up, and we weren't done by the time we finished our snack, so we walked back to my hotel and drank tea in the lobby for awhile. We parted ways around 6:30, which was v. civilized, and so I grabbed my laptop, hung out in the lobby, talked to the bartender for a bit, ate some takeout Thai, and then worked for an hour. I should probably keep going, but I think I would feel better if I went to bed now, got a full eight hours, and then got up early to work before going to the office - so that is what I shall do. Goodnight!

just walk among the flowers, don't kill or be devoured

My sleep schedule is v off - yesterday I got up really early to finish packing and working, and so I was already tired by the time I had to drive to the airport. Unfortunately my Denver->SF flight was delayed a couple of hours (as expected given Denver's weather + SF's runway construction), and so I didn't get to my hotel until midnight (2am in Iowa, if you're keeping track). This really wrecked me for today, unfortunately.

However, luckily I hadn't made any hard plans - I did have to get up in time for a mani/pedi at 11, but that wasn't that onerous. Then I walked to Fillmore and browsed some shops, with some success (but not too much). And I had a late lunch at Little Shucker, which I always enjoy - oysters and rosé and fries are better when shared, but they're pretty delicious solo too.

Then I came back to my hotel and took a long nap, which may wreck tonight, but it felt necessary. Then I got a late iced latte to perk up again (also may wreck tonight, tbd). And then I wrote / worked in the lobby bar for many hours - I also ordered takeout from Little Chihuahua to eat while I worked, and it was pretty tasty.

And now I need to go to bed so that I can emerge from my hobbit nature tomorrow and take a nap - goodnight!

neon pills

No blog tonight - I accidentally stayed up until after midnight last night, and then got up at seven (after fitful slumber), so I'm v tired. But I did a bunch of work pretty early in the morning, and then I took a quick shower and headed to Des Moines, where I did another couple of hours of work at a Starbucks before grabbing lunch to go. My main destination was getting my hair done, which was a nice way to spend a couple of hours playing hooky from work. Then I picked up a couple of things at the spice store next to my hair salon, went to Home Depot to get a couple of things first [censored], and then drove home.

When I got here, I did a bit of sorting and packing, and then I took a break to make sweet corn and hamburgers for me and [censored]. I had picked up corn in Indianola even though I won't be here to eat all of it - and it was worth taking the time to make tonight, even though I really should have been packing instead.

So I ate supper and cleaned up the kitchen. I had planned to pack tonight, but I'm so tired that I'm going to go to bed at 10pm instead. I'll just get up early tomorrow and hope that I have enough time to pack and take care of my various gardening activities before all my usual meetings. Goodnight!

tell me what it means to be human

I'm v tired and need to go to bed - yesterday I woke up with a continuation of the headache I had on Monday, and it was bad enough that I basically didn't work all morning. I rallied a bit in the afternoon, and then I made dinner (porkchops and roasted potatoes) for me and Mom. And then I turned the lights low in an effort to finish my recovery, which was a mixed bag.

Today, I didn't have much headache, but I did wake up before six. So I got up and wrote before work, which was great. Then I slogged all day before taking a break around six to do some gardening tasks. And then I sat on my balcony and wrote until [censored] got home, at which point I ate a late supper while catching up.

And now I need to go to bed if I'm going to repeat similar feats tomorrow - goodnight!

i start to feel pixelated

I had a v lovely weekend, which bled straight into the work week (and unfortunately a massive headache today). On Saturday I spent some quality time writing on my balcony until it was too hot to write (which was unfortunately far too early). I also did various household tasks, cleaned various things, and actually washed the pendants over my kitchen island, which only happens on the rare occasions when I have houseguests.

The guest in question was Katie, the queen of my heart, who was in town for one night only before a work trip to Kansas City. She wasn't able to get up here until almost 8pm, and we met at Ludlows to have dinner with Hannah (another excellent friend whom I should probably see more often since she lives thirty miles away instead of eighteen hundred like most of my friends). It was great to hang out together, even if I was repeatedly reminded of how much fun they used to have in six grade when I wasn't invited to be their friend. Joke's on them since I'm pretty cool now!

sssanyway, we had a great dinner, and then we parted ways with Hannah and came back to my house, where Katie availed herself of my guest room (and a long conversation with [censored]). In the morning, I did some gardening while Katie went out and explored her childhood haunts on her own - while I dislike using pesticides, my anti-pesticide approach last year resulted in almost no crops, and I would like to avoid this year's gardens suffering the same fate. So I harvested the tomatillos that were already ripe, and then I sprinkled some pesticides on the nightshades that were all showing signs of insect damage. If I'm successful I'm going to have way too much produce, but I would rather suffer that fate than not have any at all.

When Katie got back, I made brunch, and my mom joined us for the meal - so we all caught up over scrambled eggs and hashbrowns and fruit, which was pretty tasty. Then Katie, [censored] and I chatted before driving down to the south part of the county to see one of the murals. We swung back through town to see the murals here, and then we parted ways with [censored] and went into (the other) town to see the murals there. We also grabbed soft serve at the hospital, which was a real treat. And Katie was just as affected by the Farm Aid mural as I expected her to be - it's really a stunning work of art, and I'm glad she got to see it.

When we got back to my house, Katie had just enough time to load up her car before needing to get on the road. We said our sad farewells, and hopefully I'll make it out to Colorado to see her sometime this fall. Then I spent the afternoon taking care of tings, and I also made a fresh tomatillo salsa verde by roasting the tomatillos with a jalapeno and then blending it with onion and lime juice. I didn't have any cilantro, which probably would have made it better - but for a first effort, I really liked it a lot. [censored] did not, but salsa verde is often wasted on him, so I wasn't surprised.

I did a bit more writing after that, and then I made supper - I was in the mood for chicken and mushroom alfredo, and it turned out perfectly. Then I should have gone to bed, but I dozed instead. When I woke up this morning, I was somewhat in it to win it - but by early afternoon I was feeling funky, which turned out to be the precursor to a pretty bad headache / possible migraine. So I called it quits on the job early and napped / relaxed / did nothing the rest of the day / evening.

And now I've been back on screens too long while closing out the night, and my headache is coming back, so I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

man that's a different kind of greed

I have continued slogging this week, rather productively, although it's been too hot to do much of it from my balcony as I would prefer to. Yesterday I had to get up early enough to go into town for my annual mammogram, which luckily went very fast, and so I was home by the time I usually start work.

Then I slogged all day, but I stopped work around five to do a two-hour online class with the writer who taught my group at the writing retreat that I went to in New York last month. The class was about fiction vs memoir and gave me a lot to think about, so I really enjoyed it. And I ended the night with some leftovers + some more work, as usual. 

Today I miraculously only had two hours of meetings, but there were a lot of things that I wanted to do while I had time to focus. So I got up early and was out on my balcony working by 8am. Even at eight it was almost too hot, and I ended up calling it quits on the balcony around ten. But I kept going straight until my first meeting at three, and then wrapped up my day with an hour of work meetings and an hour talking to someone from my old team back in Boulder. 

Then I had thought I would go to Indianola to do some grocery shopping, but I really didn't have the energy and also didn't really have the need, since I'm not going to be cooking as much this week as I thought I might. So I relaxed a bit, and then picked up Mexican takeout, and then meant to write but instead dozed off. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

choking on the air that you breathe

I'm v tired and intended to go to bed an hour ago, but I had to do a thing for work that took much longer than it should have. I have been alternating between slogging and various other obligations the last couple of days, which has slowed down my writing progress. Yesterday it was an early morning economic development board meeting and a long city council meeting in the evening. Today I was able to work at my leisure in the morning (although I didn't have time to write), but then I had to take a couple of hours off so that I could take Mom to an eye appointment. And then I slogged until almost 6:30, which was unwelcome.

But I took a break to make dinner - I grilled some chicken thighs for me and some hot dogs for [censored], which we ate with gluten free mac and cheese + regular mac and cheese respectively. And we ate it while watching the last forty-five minutes of The Two Towers, which is still a banger and holds up over twenty years later.

Then I cleaned up the kitchen, came upstairs, and slogged until now. And now I need to sleep immediately - goodnight!

basic being basic

I have continued to be quite busy the past couple of days, although I suppose I didn't get as much done yesterday as I had intended to. It doesn't help that it's super hot here, which makes spending time outside much less appealing. But yesterday I got up and spent a couple of hours writing, which felt great. Then I did various things around the house, took care of my plants, relaxed a bit in the afternoon, did some more writing, and eventually made dinner. Dinner was an experiment from one of the cookbooks that I got for Christmas, and it was a variation of a Spanish tortilla. Spanish tortilla is an egg dish with potato in it, and this one was made even easier because it involved frozen hash browns instead of boiling and cutting fresh potatoes. This was a good use of the farm eggs that I bought at the farmer's market last weekend, and I thought it was quite tasty. I don't think [censored] liked it quite as much, but now I have leftovers for the next couple of days, which makes me happy.

So we ate the tortilla last night with a slice of ham that I cooked on the stove, and all of that was pretty good. Then I took a long overdue shower, read a book for a while, and went to bed early.

Since I went to bed earlier, I was able to wake up this morning before 7:00 and write for a couple of hours before work. Then I slid straight into work mode and slogged aggressively until 6:00 p.m. At that point, I took a little break and journaled a bit on the balcony (although it was too hot for that, even in the shade), and then grilled hamburgers and made sweet corn for dinner. After I had sufficiently relaxed and cleaned up the kitchen, I came upstairs and spent the last hour taking care of a task for my boss. Now I need to go to bed so that I can repeat some of these feats tomorrow, although since I have an early community meeting and also a late community meeting, we'll see how much I get done. Goodnight!

one for the now and eleven for the later

I have continued to be too busy to blog, but none of the things that I've been doing are all that interesting, so you really haven't missed much. On Thursday, I got up early so I could read before work, which was extremely unusual, but I was determined to finish the book club book before our book club meeting that evening. The book was called TRUST by Hernan Diaz, and it won a Pulitzer a few years ago. I started it Wednesday night and wasn't totally sure how I felt about it, but I'm really glad that I kept going because it became one of my favorite things that I read in a while.

Anyway, at some point I had to stop reading so that I could get ready, take a couple of work meetings, and then drive to Centerville to see the dentist. Luckily, my teeth continue to be as good as they always are, so I won't have to see him again until my next cleaning in six months. And then I came home, slogged the rest of the afternoon, and felt like it really wasn't that much of a slog because most of my meetings were with some of my favorite people. I capped it off with book club, and while only five of us had finished, that was still better than some months, so we felt quite pleased by the turnout. We read a real hodgepodge of stuff -- t's odd to be in a book club that reads both "Trust" (a pulitzer prize winner) and "Secret of Secrets" by Dan Brown (will never win an award, nor should it ever be discussed again), but it's a good way to bond with some of the people at the company who I otherwise don't talk to as often.

I don't remember what I did the rest of Thursday evening, other than I probably ate leftovers because I was too wiped out to do anything else. Friday, I also wasn't entirely in it to win it, although I did get up and do some writing and then do some work tasks that I needed to accomplish. I ended up working until six, And then I ran into town to get a couple of groceries, came home, and tried a new-to-me recipe out of a cookbook that I got for Christmas last year. It was an enchilada bake that's basically a casserole, and it was as easy as the cookbook promised that it would be (since the cookbook is called 'What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking', I was really hoping that it would be easy and take exactly as much time as promised to finish). It's very similar in profile to the burrito bowls that I make in the Instant Pot, although this uses ground beef and bell peppers, whereas my Instant Pot version uses chicken breast and chorizo. This one may be just slightly easier, and it's certainly tasty, so it will probably end up in the regular rotation.

I ended up screwing up my sleep last night because I came upstairs with the intention of writing and instead dozed off on my chaise around 9 pm. I didn't get in my real bed until almost midnight, but then I spent an hour scrolling to catch up on the scrolling that I could have done before bedtime, which was a pretty stupid move. But I managed to get up this morning, make some cold brew, and do a bit of journaling before my day began in earnest.

I availed myself of the opportunity to go to the farmers market this morning, which I usually forget to do. There were a couple more people than had turned out for the 4th of July market, which was nice. It was light on actual farmers (no produce, although I did unexpected buy some iris rhizomes). But I had some lovely conversations with people about the things that they make, and I also spent fifteen or twenty minutes chatting with an old high school classmates who is trying to create a community art center. So it was all a very nice way to kick off the morning before it got both too hot to be outside and there was too much demand on my productivity to allow me to relax. 

When I got back to my house, I ate some leftover enchilada casserole for lunch, and then [censored] and I spent a couple of hours pressure washing my balcony. This was extremely necessary because the robins engaged in a war on my balcony all spring, leaving behind a seriously astonishing amount of bird shit, which I was getting tired of looking at. More importantly, it was eating up all the paint on the balcony railing and floor, which I wanted to remediate. However, using a pressure washer meant that we mostly stripped the paint rather than getting the bird shit off of it, which I actually expected because the paint had already been chipping fairly badly before. Now that the balcony is clean, the next task on my list is to find somebody who can paint the balcony and possibly my deck, and then maybe screen in my balcony so that I avoid future issues with birds or bugs.

Anyway, after that, I took a long break, took a shower to make up for the fact that I had become somewhat disgusting during the pressure washing project, and then tidied up, did some housework, and spent 20 minutes writing on my balcony before it was time to make dinner. Dinner was thin-cut rib eye steaks, hamburgers, and sweet corn. I had the meat in the freezer already, and [censored] had picked up corn from the first stand that he'd seen of the season, and it was all very tasty. Mom came in to join us, so we had a nice hour chatting about various local updates. I also enjoyed showing her the potential upcoming plant overload that we're going to succumb to if the tomato plants all do what they look like they're going to do now.

And now I really need to go to bed so that I can accomplish something tomorrow - goodnight!. 

all this feels strange and untrue

I apparently have not blogged since Sunday - I blame the day job, which has been v. busy this week. I have made time for writing in the mornings, and also for watering my various plants, and also for showering - but all other things have gone by the wayside.

That is not to say that it's been a bad week. I've had many many meetings; I had an eye doctor's appointment on Monday (which resulted in him wanting me to test multifocal contacts, which are supposed to help with my reading distance while keeping my far distance the same - so far so good); I had a library board meeting today; and I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. So, the rest of my life is moving along even though work has been chaotic.

However, because all I have done is work, I have nothing else of interest to report - and I'm already overdue to go to bed. Goodnight!

model citizen zero discipline

I had a pretty nice 4th of July weekend, all things considered - and I think I got quite a bit done, but I'm having trouble remembering it all now. Yesterday I did quite a bit of journaling/writing in the morning, and I also inspected the house that I bought next door - my empire is expanding, but as with all empire-expansions, there will be quite a bit of work to do to rebuild to my standards. I felt pretty good about it all, especially since we verified that the air conditioning is in good working order - until [censored] pointed out a dead bat next to the water heater, which was not a welcome discovery since I hate bats. But the house has a lot of potential despite that, so we shall persevere.

I must have done more things yesterday afternoon of varying types, quantities, and qualities, but they escape me now. And then I sliced up some peaches, took them out to Mom's, and grilled bratwurst and hot dogs to go with her potato salad and baked beans. It was all quite tasty, and we also admired her continued progress in her gardens (although progress was stalled last week due to the insane heat). And then [censored] and I came home and I ended up going to bed quite early.

Today was more of the same - I got up fairly early, took care of some personal business tasks with reasonable efficiency, and did some writing. Then I showered, and then I took [censored] to the shop, where I poked around for a bit to see what I could see. When I got home, I watered plants, tidied up my office, ate lunch, scrolled for awhile, and then spent the afternoon writing / reading on my balcony until it got too hot.

It was too hot to sit, but it wasn't too hot to walk, so I walked downtown to check out the recycling bins (the cardboard bin was full, much to my chagrin). Then I came home and made dinner - this chicken orzo pasta casserole with mushrooms, onions, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and parmesan that [censored] and I find to be quite delicious. While it was cooking, I helped [censored] move a countertop for the garage, and then I tidied up the kitchen so that I wouldn't have to clean after dinner.

Dinner turned out super tasty, and [censored] and I enjoyed it while solving a mystery together - I had run into someone earlier in the week who knew me very well but whom I couldn't remember, and it had been bugging me for days. With the vague description I was able to provide + a single clue (one great-grandchild's name), we were finally able to solve it, with a lot of digging around obituaries, facebook profiles, and one person's wedding photo album that they had helpfully shared publicly. Feeling very accomplished after solving this extremely difficult puzzle, I came upstairs and messed around until now. But I think I should go to bed early so that I can hit the ground running tomorrow - goodnight!

heavy foot

I woke up yesterday morning in Cedar Rapids, and I could have kept the streak going of not stepping foot outside while I was in the city, but I decided that I wanted Starbucks more than I wanted to be able to claim that I had taken the trip entirely indoors. So I got ready, said farewell to [censored], and went to Starbucks, where I fueled myself with cold brew and did a tiny bit of work before hitting the road.

My drive was uneventful, and faster than usual since Iowa raised the speed limit to 60 mph on July 1st. I think that this is likely to result in chaos as people figure out which road signs have been updated and which haven't, but so far I haven't been in any accidents, so yay me. When I got home, I immediately stepped into meetings from 12 to about 5, which was not the best welcome back that I've ever had - but it set me up to be able to go into the weekend without thinking too much about work.

After I was done working, I did various things around the house, and then I picked up Mexican food for me and [censored] since I didn't feel like cooking. We both tried new things, and both of us thought that they were too bland compared to our old things, but at least we didn't starve.

Today was great, mostly since I didn't have to work. So I took care of various things, loaded my car to drop stuff off at the second hand store, and went to Indianola to run a variety of errands. Then I came home, unloaded groceries, and took Mom to Lucas (yes this is backtracking) to check out the last of this season's plants at the greenhouse. We basically struck out, but it was a nice drive. 

I then spent the evening working on cleaning my garage fridges, journaling a bit, watching more than I expected of a Savannah Bananas game, etc. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

may be vader someday later

I have had an extremely eventful couple of days, but you shall only get the highlights that I may wish to look up and fact check later.

Monday I woke up, wrote, worked, and then ran into town to attend a campaign event for Rob Sand. Unclear if he has any real shot at governor, but I think he's the most likely one to be able to do it (although he should be a shoe-in given how Iowa is dropping on all measures of budgets, economic growth, education, water quality, etc after ten years of one party rule - doesn't matter which party it is, bad outcomes start happening if one party is in charge for too long). He had a decent turnout and I enjoyed visiting with various people there, so I'm glad I went. Then I came home, worked more, talked to Katie, wrote some more, etc. 

Tuesday started with a doctor's appointment, which went great. Then I bought another house, as one does. Then I went home and slogged all day, with a break in the late afternoon to pick up the key (singular) to my new property. And then I went to the museum to screen a documentary someone made about the walldogs and the mural festival, which was really awesome. It brought back some good memories, and it was fun to watch it with Nancy, Brenda, and Bonita (+ Cindy and Jeannie, who were volunteering at the museum that day). Then I spent the evening mostly relaxing bc I was spent.

Today was a whirlwind - I got up, made cold brew, packed some clothes, watered all my outdoor stuff, etc. Then I had four hours straight of meetings, and then I grabbed my bag and a pack of salami and some leftover pizza and hit the road. I met [censored] in Cedar Rapids, which involved three hours of driving (slightly less since they raised the speed limit), and I took calls during two of them. 

So by the time I got here I was fried, but I checked into the hotel, met [censored], and we grabbed an early dinner in the hotel restaurant. If I play my cards right I might not step outside in Cedar Rapids on this trip - I parked in a garage, took the skywalk over, ate in the hotel, and our concert was in an arena attached to the hotel. So it was about as convenient as it can possibly be if you ignore the three hour drive on both sides. 

The concert was Weird Al Yankovic, who is an excellent performer. The opener was Puddles Pity Party, and I didn't know what to expect, but he was surprisingly hilarious - a 6'8" clown who has some recurring Kevin Costner bits, which you definitely had to be there for but were great. And Weird Al was awesome - he played a lot of favorites, and the overall production was great. 

And now, after the very onerous walk down the hall from the arena to the elevator (I got less than 5000 steps today and I think most of them were tending my garden and packing), it's time for bed - goodnight!

angels of the silences

I had a pretty quiet weekend. Yesterday started off well, and I did some decent writing - but I took a break to go to Dad's shop to inspect various tings with Mom and [censored], which bummed me out a bit. [Censored] is doing all the (literal) heavy lifting on cleaning things out, which makes sense since I don't know what most of it is (and the stuff I do know has very little value, like dad's old grill sitting in the weeds). He had someone come yesterday to consider buying some random stuff related to directional drilling, since only a driller would need those particular items - and that seemed to go well, although the guy blew a tire on the way home and [censored] had to go rescue him since he was pulling one of our trailers when it happened.

So anyway, while [censored] was dealing with selling things, I slipped into a bit of a funk, helped along by a very cloudy day. It's too bad since it was the last cool day for the foreseeable future, but whatever. Then we picked up pizza to take to Mom's, and I got to admire the progress she's made on her gardens, so that was great.

Today was better, oddly, since it involved a funeral. I got up around 6:30 and wrote this morning, which felt great. Then I did some gardening - I desperately needed to do some Florida weaving on my tomatoes and tomatillos since they're already out of control. I accomplished that in due form, and also watered everything since it's insanely hot. By the time I was done I had less than thirty minutes to eat something and shower, but I managed to get ready (almost) on time.

This afternoon, Mom, [censored] and I went to Kirksville for Aunt Judy's visitation. She was my dad's aunt, and she was always a hoot - I really liked her, although I hadn't seen her in years. She has suffered from dementia quite badly and hasn't really been very verbal for a couple of years, so in many ways this is a blessing. But her daughters invited us to the lunch they had before the visitation, so we went down early to see them. Debbie sat with us, which meant we got to catch up somewhat properly, and we got a chance to chat with Denise as well. And we got to eat some delicious cheesecake that they made using Judy's recipe, so that was pretty special.

After lunch, we went to visitation (across the driveway), and then snuck out instead of staying for the funeral. We had to go pick up the aforementioned trailer that the guy had borrowed yesterday to take the things he'd bought, and then since we had access to a trailer, [censored] and I picked up a 10' countertop for my garage project. Then we came home, and I spent the rest of the evening relaxing / journaling / trying not to overheat.

And now it's time to unwind and go to bed - goodnight!

she's a butcher with a smile

I had a v odd day. I got up early enough to write a bit before work, which was great, and then I had to slog in a v focused manner to get some stuff done before meeting with my boss (and Adit) after lunch. That meeting went well, and as soon as I was done, I went to Des Moines on secret business. The secret business was not accomplished as easily as I had anticipated, and it was compounded by needing to do some day job work in a parking lot, but c'est la vie.

As soon as I was done, I went to see Drewbaby and Sammie and Marcella. We hung out at their place while Marcella ate, and then we went downtown to check out the Des Moines art festival. It was surprisingly impressive - I only walked away with a ceramic piece, but there were many other things that I coveted. They apparently get 2500 applications a year and only take 250 artists, and the quality of everything was extremely high.

So it was fun to walk around, and Marcella was v well behaved until finally being over it right at the very end (acceptable). Then we went back to their house and I picked up my car and drove home. 

And now it's past my recent bedtime and I need my beauty sleep - goodnight!

empty nest

I have been slogging the last couple of days, so it's hard to dredge up interesting content for zee blog. It doesn't help that I'm still mildly congested two weeks after getting sick... I'm mostly cleared up, but every once in awhile I get a hacking cough, which is most unwelcome. 

But yesterday I took a break in the late afternoon to go into town and have a margarita with Brenda and Bonita (they are a generation older than me, but still a good time). And today I did some decent writing before work, and I spent some time on my balcony this afternoon, which almost made up for my 6:30-7:30pm work meeting. 

But beyond that I have nothing to report, and much sleep to catch up on - goodnight!

being clever never got me very far

I have reentered the work world, which is unfortunate since I would rather still be in the writing world - especially since I'm finally starting to feel better and could have used a week of non-congestion with which to write. However, I did get up early yesterday and today to write before work - tbd on how that goes tomorrow since I have not gone to bed yet, but we'll see.

So today I woke up early, wrote, showered, and then slogged until after six (with a break somewhere in the afternoon to water my gardens - I shall perhaps be inundated with tomatoes since all my seedlings survived the transplant shock). Then I threw together an easy supper of roasted chicken breasts, roasted potatoes, and roasted cherry tomatoes. [Censored] turned his into a caesar wrap, while I ate mine with copious amounts of storebought tzatziki and hummus, and I believe we were both quite pleased with our choices.

Sadly, I then made the choice to do day job work for the last hour and a half, which will make me feel a little better going into tomorrow, but does not make me particularly joyful tonight. So I'm going to go to bed and hope for a reset in my sleep - goodnight!

debi tirar mas fotos

I made it back to ye olde Iowa yesterday, after a relatively easy morning of travel - while checking my bag took longer than expected, everything else was smooth, and I had time to eat breakfast in the amex lounge and pick up some coffee before boarding. When I got to Des Moines, I wanted to go see Drewbaby's baby, but the fact that I'm still congested + was probably covered in strange plane germs made me think it wasn't a good idea.

So instead I grabbed a quick lunch at a Mediterranean place near the airport, then stocked up on groceries at fareway. When I got home, I unloaded my car, did various tings, and then [censored] and I picked up Mexican and took it out to Mom's to eat. She has made amazing progress on her gardens in the last couple of weeks, so that was fun to see. And then I came home and went to bed early to start recovering from my trip.

Today I was not really in it to win it - it was rainy and cloudy and strangely cold all day, and that affected my mood. But I got my desk set up for writing again, did some writing, did some journaling, read a bit, etc. And I made chili for dinner, which [censored] and I enjoy quite a bit.

But I've been falling asleep on my chaise for the last hour, so I think I should go to bed and hope for the best in terms of productivity tomorrow. Goodnight!

the killer in me is the killer in you

I am in transit to ye olde Iowa, but I won't be fully home until tomorrow. My workshop ended today, which meant I had to get up at six and pack + grab coffee + eat breakfast before the nine am session, all of which was accomplished in due form. It was a v nice end to the week, and while I would have liked another day or two, it will be good to go home and start incorporating some of what I learned. 

After we were done, I had a final lunch with the group, and then I caught a train to New York. Sadly I had to do day job stuff as soon as I got here, including a meeting with my boss (even though I'm on vacation and it's also a corporate holiday) - it was not an emergency, but everyone's various summer holidays is making discussions difficult. 

When I was finally done with work, I grabbed a quick bowl of pasta nearby, then came back to my room, put on a robe, pretended I was going to write, and dozed instead. And now I need to sleep since I need to leave for the airport in eight hours - goodnight!

no time is a good time for goodbye

I had another truly excellent day at this retreat. I got plenty of sleep (although I still have a deficit) and I decided to take some pseudoephedrine to clear out my sinuses, which felt great except for the fact that it makes me thirsty. But I grabbed a v quick breakfast and then had an excellent workshop.

And then I got a massage, which was transformative - my whole left side was tight, and now it feels better lying in bed. Then I chatted with some people, grabbed a v late lunch, did some journaling, and went to a panel on writing the self through various genres, which was extremely illuminating. And then I spent some time telling an ER doc that he should just make a fortune writing erotica, which was v fun. 

I took a too-short break, got ready, and then went to the final reading evening. I read a bit of something I'd been working on, and that was super fun; I think I have now convinced most of my class to move to Iowa and start a cult with me. The other readings were all really good too, and my class seems to have gelled in a way that makes it likely some of us will keep in touch. 

After the evening ended, some of us grabbed ice cream, and now I need to sleep so I can get up super early and pack before the final session. Goodnight!

love you mean it

I had an excellent day all in all - and I got a truly excellent amount of sleep last night, which helped. I'm still congested and snot-filled, and I'm still not 100%, but I didn't let it stop me from enjoying my day.

I got up later than previous days, but early enough to grab breakfast and chat with a couple of writers from my small group for awhile. Then I sat at the cafe and nursed a cold brew while scribbling in my notebook, which was v enjoyable. At some point I decamped to my room to change into shorts since the day warmed up, and then I spent some quality time this afternoon with others from my small group.

We didn't have a workshop scheduled this morning (there were various optional tings instead), but a bunch of us met up to discuss our work independently. There were student readings tonight and more tomorrow night, for which people can sign up for a three-minute slot. Three minutes isn't much time, so some of us met up to read our things to each other to get some practice with timing + feedback on whether it was working. It was really fun to do, and I'm enjoying getting to know some of the people in my group more - and it's too bad that we only have two more class sessions left.

Sadly I had to bail to do another meeting with my boss and Adit, but that only took an hour and I ate a sandwich while we talked, so it could be worse. Then I did some personal work, ate dinner, and dialed into a special session of city council. That meant I missed the first few readings tonight, but I caught several people I wanted to see, and had a glass of wine with a couple of my classmates, so that was great.

And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

you're too sweet for me

I had an excellent day at my writing workshop - I'm starting to make some friends, and I'm really enjoying my breakout group. I also figured out my nutrition situation - I had a bigger breakfast (clearly their strong suit), bought a sandwich for lunch (meals are included at the dining hall, but I wasn't in the mood for lentils; I had to pay for the sandwich at the cafe, but it was one of the best sandwiches I've had in a long time, so it was #worthit), and then had a reasonably acceptable dinner.

I was, however, quite tired - while my cold is improving, I got less than six hours of sleep last night, and I woke up to do a bit of writing before class at nine, so I was wiped out. So after the workshop ended, I attempted a nap, then grabbed aforementioned sandwich, talked to some people, took care of various tings, and then journaled/napped in the sun. Unfortunately I had to spend two hours on a day job call in the late afternoon, but I ended in time to grab dinner before going to the evening readings. They were all quite good, so that was v enjoyable.

And now I'm going to go to bed and attempt to get eight hours of sleep for the first time in a week - my sleep debt on my oura ring is the highest I've ever seen it, so it's time to prioritize some sleep over anything else. Goodnight!

but i want you to want me too

I had an excellent first day at my retreat, although it started off a bit rough - I did not sleep well last night due to my cold + the fact that my bed creaks whenever I move, and so the morning was painful. But I grabbed breakfast, grabbed cold brew, and then had three hours of class (?), which was a very long and good discussion on place.

After that, I came back to my room and took a quick nap, and then I grabbed lunch. I found an adirondack chair by the pond in which to journal / work on my assigned writing prompt this afternoon, and I did do some writing, but I also did quite a bit of napping in the sun. Then I went to an afternoon panel session, spent some time talking to my mom, relaxed a bit more, and then grabbed dinner. When I was done eating, I went to this evening's readings, which were from four more faculty/staff members, and all of them were excellent and v. inspiring.

Then I came back to my room, though about going to bed, and instead wrote for the last two hours. But now I really do need to sleep if I'm going to get enough rest for tomorrow's workshop. Goodnight!

i'm taking a [amtrak] on the hudson river line

I am feeling slightly better today - my throat isn't quite as bad, so I was able to sleep last night, but my nose is running and my cough is still acting up, which may make for some awkwardness in a bunch of small group writing sessions this week.

But I woke up this morning feeling like some sun might help, so I grabbed a cold brew and sat in Madison Square Park (not to be confused with Madison Square Garden) and journaled while people watching. The city was very quiet this morning, likely because everyone was out late celebrating last night - all the guys at the front desk of my hotel were running on a couple of hours of sleep since they were the 6am shift, but they all claimed it was worth it. It was a v fun week to be in NYC even if I did get sick, and I guess I'm now a Knicks fan until next year.

After I was done journaling, I grabbed an amazing gluten free bagel with salmon and cream cheese from the bagel place in my hotel - and now I'm bitter that I didn't know they had amazing gluten free bagels until today, because I would have had one literally every day if I'd realized. Then I was cutting it close to finish packing, but I trimmed my bangs, showered, packed, and checked out exactly at my checkout time. I left my bags at the front desk and did an hour of personal work, and then I headed to the train station to catch a train to my next adventure.

At the train station I had just enough time to grab a gf chicken caesar wrap to go and drink part of a glass of rosé before boarding. My destination was a retreat center about ninety minutes north of the city, out in the farms and wooded areas of the Hudson River valley. I got here without issue and checked in, and then I unpacked into my little cabin, walked around to get my bearings, took a brief nap, and ate a quick dinner in the cafe.

I'm here for a five day writing workshop that I applied for almost on a whim a few weeks ago. I was looking for something different than my usual writing excursions, and I stumbled across this workshop geared toward writing about place and environment. Since so much of what I'm writing these days has to do with Iowa, which is a v specific place, this seems like it's going to be quite fruitful. Tonight there was an intro session with readings from a few of the faculty members, and I'm pretty excited to get to know them - even if I'm also exhausted, and still sick, and feeling shy in the midst of a bunch of new people. I'm sure that will wane as the week goes on, but tonight I'm indulging my desire to go to bed early so I can recover. Goodnight!

big lights will inspire you

I did not have the day that I intended to have in New York today. That was mostly because I slept very poorly last night and woke up feeling sicker than I did yesterday, which was a real bummer. I'm bound and determined to recover in time for what I have coming up this week, and so sadly I cancelled all of my friend plans so that I could sleep. This meant missing out on seeing both Sara and Terry, which was v unexpected, but hopefully I'll be back in a couple of months. 

So I dozed fitfully through the morning, then had breakfast in the hotel lobby. I also ventured out to run a couple of errands, which mostly meant buying several more types of cold medicine plus some bug spray so that I'm ready for my trip up the Hudson tomorrow. The errand running really wiped me out, and so I came back to the hotel and slept/read various articles on my phone for most of the afternoon. I went around the block to grab some food for an early dinner at four pm, which was well-timed. The restaurant was totally empty, and the cops were already setting up barricades for the various Knicks activities that were expected tonight. My food was tasty and probably would have been even better if I hadn't been sucking on honey-flavored throat lozenges.

But that wiped me out again, so I came back to my room and slept some more. Unfortunately, that means that I'm now pretty much wide awake, but I haven't declined any further today, so hopefully that means that I'll turn a corner. And I ended up watching the end of the Knicks game on my room TV. While I kind of wish that I was out in the city celebrating, it was still cool to be here during the NBA Finals run, even if I'm experiencing it from bed. 

I'm going to attempt to sleep since I need to get up and pack and check out tomorrow morning. Wish me luck with all of that - goodnight!

I like the way you move

I am v unfortunately getting sick - yesterday I had convinced myself that it was the after effects of karaoke, but overnight it became apparent that it was just my immune system in total rebellion.

So I slept fitfully last night, and then got up in time to drop my laundry at a place down the street with same day service (and willing to wash and fold nine pounds of laundry for the cost of one dress with the hotel laundry service). I also bought cough drops, although perhaps I should have stood in line for Sudafed.

I would have been tempted to stay back today, but I left my laptop in the office last night, so I had to go in. I had too many meetings, but they were all uneventful. And then I came back to my hotel, picked up my laundry, and spent two hours taking with Avichal, Curtis, and Aditya. This took it out of me, and I was going to just grab food at the hotel bar, but the live music was too loud, so I went to pecora bianca and had a v tasty gf pasta with vodka sauce. 

And now I'm going to try to sleep a million hours to promote recovery - goodnight!

I know you're trying to forget

I had a reasonably good day despite feeling much better than I deserved and much worse that I wanted to. I didn't get much sleep and I felt it all day...but the work I did do was good. And I had a v delightful extended dinner and drinks with Maya at Thai Diner - the line was ridiculous, but it was v nice to catch up. 

But now I need to sleep immediately - goodnight!

I scream at the top of my lungs what's going on

I accidentally had an Adit kind of night tonight. I was at the office a little after 8am and worked v diligently all day, until our team dinner at an Italian restaurant at 6. There were twelve of us at dinner, which was great. Then we whittled to 8 before going to a bar, where we hung out until they closed at midnight (and watched the Knicks win at the last second on Adit's phone, which we shared with the bartenders, and then we got comped more shots).

Then we whittled to the final 5, and went to karaoke, where we sang in a private room for two hours, which means it's now 2:30am and I vaguely want to die. But even though the city is still buzzing (thanks to the Knicks), I'm safely ensconced in my hotel and am going to try to power through enough sleep to get me through tomorrow. Goodnight!

I dream of love as time runs through my hands

I had an excellent day in NYC, and I need to go to bed immediately if I'm going to trust similar feats tomorrow. I woke up early (after exactly the right amount of sleep... so far after two nights in NYC my official sleep deficit is zero and my heart rate is still low, so I'm doing something right), and I swung by Starbucks before getting to the office at 8:15 and slogging v diligently for an hour.

Then I escaped the office for a brief interlude to have breakfast at Friend of a Farmer with a podcaster who I've connected with through various writing and Stanford channels. I am not likely to make a podcast (although I'm always tempted) and she is not likely to work in tech, but we have many other things in common, so it was a v fun meetup. And breakfast was great, so I went back to the office in fine form. 

Unfortunately I then had meetings for many many hours. I also ordered an açai bowl for lunch, which I have literally never done and will probably never do again, but in this moment (still full from breakfast), some cold açai with fruit and coconut and almond butter actually hit the spot. I ate it while participating in various convos about various tings, and somehow I survived until leaving the office at 6:15.

Then I came back to my hotel (with some window shopping along the way), relaxed in a way that came dangerously close to turning into a nap, and then frantically got ready when I realized that I was about to be late for dinner. This would have been particularly embarrassing since dinner was less than a block away. But I got there just in time to meet up with Emily. We had dinner at Lola's, which was an absolute delight. Emily's company is always a delight, but the food was astonishingly good. We had a tuna sashimi dish that was excellent, some gumbo grilled oysters that were extremely delicious, and a beef and barley tartare that was out of this world good. Of course, barley has gluten in it, which means I may pay for this decision, but the tartare is probably the best thing that we had, so #noregrets.

The main course was a surprisingly interesting and good Carolina rice grit cake, which I can't really explain, so you'll have to trust me. We also had a short rib that was a delight as well. And we had two hours of excellent conversation, which was long overdue. It was great to get a chance to catch up outside of the office, and hopefully we'll have more fun in the next few days.

Then I came back to my hotel, and now it's time for bed. Goodnight!

space ghost coast to coast

I got a glorious 8.5 hours of sleep last night, and while I woke up to a slightly sore leg (thanks to a bed that's not exactly to my ergonomic tastes), I felt very much rejuvenated. Since I had gone to bed so early last night, that meant that I was able to get going this morning early enough to grab a benti cold brew to fuel my walk to the office. I was in the office by 8:30, and I had quite a fun day. It's always great to hang out with co-workers in person, and my meetings were an appropriate blend of productive and entertaining. I also got to have sushi for lunch, as well as another coffee at some point in the afternoon, so I felt pretty well fueled for the day.

After work, we had a finance and friends happy hour, which meant that the finance team went out with a variety of other folks. There were nine of us in total, and Adit happens to be in town for the week as well, so we had quite a delightful happy hour/early dinner. My dinner was perhaps too early since I'm feeling a little bit hungry right now, but since my only options are $8 M&Ms from the mini bar or braving the real bar downstairs during the Knicks game, I think I'll refrain.

Happy hour was relatively sedate, though. I had one cocktail and a burger, which was just the right amount to have fun without going overboard. Then I walked back to my hotel with a couple of coworkers since we were all headed to the same general vicinity. The blocks near me are closed due to the Knicks game, but I was able to get to my hotel with no issue.

I should have done some work tonight, but I was feeling a little bit too wiped out. So I mostly caught up on the news on my phone, went on a fruitless search through the hotel for ice, and then handwrote my to-do list since I was feeling a little bit scattered. And now I need to go to bed since I have many plans tomorrow - goodnight!

I wanna see you in another light

I'm completely exhausted, so I may go to bed by 10 / 9 central, which is unheard of. Yesterday was excellent, but I did far more than I usually do on a Saturday - I was prepping to fly to NYC today and so felt compelled to do all the things.

This mostly meant gardening, although I did run some errands and do some basic tidying around the house. I had finally hardened off various seedlings enough that I didn't think I would kill them (although I'm planting two weeks later than planned, so we'll see what they do). Also, a rascally rabbit or some other non-apex predator had wrought havoc in my raised beds, killing two of my four tomatillos outright and also damaging my eggplant. Luckily I still had two more tomatillos on deck (literally, since I was storing them on my deck), but still. 

So I planted many things in grow bags, and we will see how they do. [Censored] also came up with a plan to fence the garden, which was exciting. And I did some Florida weave to support the tomatoes, tomatillos, and eggplants that still survive, so hopefully things get better (until some new pest arrives).

That took basically all day though, which was perhaps ill advised since I had to wake up at 5:15 this morning to go to the airport. I took a break last night to pick up Mexican so that [censored] and I could eat with Mom. Sadly I was too busy to hang out very long, since I hadn't started packing - and I forgot a couple of things that I basically never forget, so that's a sign that I was a little too last minute on this. But I got five hours of sleep and made it to the airport in time to have breakfast, so it could have been worse.

My flight was uneventful, and while my Uber failed to get me the last couple of blacks due to a parade, everything was otherwise smooth. This may be my favorite hotel that I've stayed in in NYC (pending how I sleep tonight) - the rooms are small and the bathroom is laughable, but the bed seems nice and the lobby bar is great. My room wasn't ready, so I journaled while eating a Caesar salad and having a glass of rosé.

My room was ready just in time for me to drop stuff off and switch shoes, and then I walked down the street to get my nails done. Then I came back, unpacked, thought about going to bed, was too hungry to go to bed, and so went to La Pecora Bianca for tasty gf pasta. 

And now I must sleep immediately despite the hour - goodnight!

have you had enough wine

I had a surprisingly productive day - probably because I didn't shower and instead started puttering around the house and taking care of various tasks. Then I sat on my balcony and worked for several hours. I am v fortunate that I work somewhere where I can dial into a meeting with my camera off...or with my camera on, thus revealing that I'm wearing sunglasses, which conveniently cover up my lack of makeup. 

So I worked outside until after one, and then I finally ate lunch, showered, and got back to it. My meetings were all good, and I ended with a call with Natalie (an old coworker), which was quite nice. 

Then I was supposed to water plants in town, but Mom and I took a chance on delaying since it looked like it would rain tonight - which was the right call since it seems to be pouring now. So I started rice in the rice cooker, did some tasks, and then made salmon teriyaki for me and [censored]. I hadn't made it in ages, so it was nice to have it again. 

And then I mostly procrastinated until now, but I'm going to go to bed and hopefully hit it early tomorrow. Goodnight!

the city's gonna love you and leave you alone

I have had a fairly boring couple of days, which is why I have not been blogging - it's all work meetings and household tasks and watering plants (my own and the town's), with some attempts at journaling and writing sprinkled in. It's finally warm enough that I can consistently work on my balcony - although that just reminds me that I want to do several big outdoor projects involving my balcony and deck and maybe a fence and also the gazebo, and potentially a fire pit too. So sitting outside isn't as relaxing as it could be, but it's better than being inside. 

However, I have nothing else to report and a million things I want to do tomorrow, so it's time for bed - goodnight!

i'm on fire, but i'm trying not to show it

I had my usual Monday - got up fairly early, tried to write (with limited success), started working, ended up taking a meeting in my pajamas, and then got ready so I could slog through meetings the rest of the day. I did run into town quickly to grab milk for tonight's dinner, so at least there was that. But it was too hot to work on my balcony, and various neighbors were burning various tings, so I decided to stay inside and attempt to focus.

By 5ish I was done, and then Mom picked me up so that we could water the planters downtown. When I got home, I inspected my plants (rabbits are attempting to eat them before they can produce anything tastier than leaves), took a break, and then made dinner. [Censored] was home tonight, unusually for a Monday, and I had picked up some swiss chard in Des Moines on Friday, so I made this rigatoni with sausage and chard and lemon zest that I occasionally make when the stars align. It's quite delicious, and it's not that much more effort than any other pasta dish - but since it requires chard, and I can't get chard within 75 miles of here, it's a rare treat.

So we ate pasta, and then I cleaned up, came upstairs with the intention of getting something done, and instead procrastinated completely. And now it's time for bed so that I can reset tomorrow - goodnight!

or am I origami, fold it up and just pretend

I got a lot done this weekend, which felt great... but now I'm heading into the work week feeling like I could use another day, or possibly week, or maybe month of time to get things done. Yesterday I did some writing in the morning, as well as various other tings on my laptop, and then I spent the afternoon tidying up my office, doing laundry, and taking care of various other household tasks. While the weather was certainly nice enough from a temperature standpoint that I should have been outside, it was overcast and seemed to be threatening a storm most of the day. So I had quite a productive chunk of time in my office instead, which felt unusually good.

Eventually I got ready, and then [censored] and I picked up Mom and we went to Seymour for dinner. My steak was so rare that I almost sent it back, which is unheard of for me - I don't think I have ever had a steak that I thought was too rare. It's like they forgot to cook one side of it, which, since it was a really thin ribeye, maybe could have worked out to all of our advantages, but in this case it was simply too rare for my tastes. However, that means it will make for an excellent reheated steak if I actually cook the other side and make some eggs to go with it, so I'm looking forward to having leftovers later this week.

Today wasn't quite as productive because I struggled to get enough sleep, but I woke up this morning and did some good writing until about noon, which felt great. Then I messed around online for a while and procrastinated just a little bit too much, but I eventually made it outside. I spent several very nice hours planting things on my patio - I've now planted basically all of the vegetable plants that I purchased, although I still haven't finished my seedling experiment. I'm trying growing peppers in grow bags this year because I felt like they got too much heat and sun in my raised beds last year. So now I have several grow bags with poblanos, anaheims, and jalapenos sitting on my patio, and I have a couple more peppers to plant once I get a bit more dirt. 

I also planted almost all of the flowers that I bought - at least the annuals that go into containers. I skipped planting a dahlia because it was looking a little sickly anyway, and I also discovered that the nursery pot it was in was a very nice home for a toad that looked like it didn't want to be disturbed. I still need to plant some perennial succulents that I bought, and so I'm hoping that this week I can clean out some of the bed next to the house so that I can get those in the ground.

By the time I was done with all of this, it was almost 6:00, and so I cleaned up, took the trash, and watered one of the containers on the main strip in town. Mom and I are in charge of watering this week, and usually there are eight containers to water. But I walked downtown this afternoon to check them, and we'd gotten just enough rain yesterday that seven of the eight didn't seem to need any water. We'll need to water everything tomorrow, but at least I was able to take care of the one pot today without any issues.

Then I came home, took a quick shower, and made chicken and chorizo burrito bowls in the instant pot. I hadn't made them in so long that I had to look up the recipe, which is almost embarrassing, but they turned out just as good as they always do. And then I came upstairs with good intentions to write, but I didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted to. So now I'm going to go to bed early, hope I get more sleep than I did last night, and wake up early enough to hit it hard tomorrow. Goodnight!

i'm either busting at the seams or i'm broke down

I had a lovely day in the metropolis, but now I'm safely ensconced back in my small town life. I woke up after a sufficient quantity of sleep, got ready, and then walked to the nearest Starbucks so that I could load up on caffeine. When I got back to the hotel, I worked for three hours and was shockingly productive - especially shocking since I feel like I haven't been productive in weeks (that is, of course, a gross exaggeration). Then I picked up a sandwich from Palmer's Deli in the Skywalk, came back to the hotel, worked for another hour, and finally packed up and left.

My next destination was West Des Moines. I had an allergy appointment late in the afternoon, but I needed a place to take a couple of meetings from. I found a new Starbucks that is quite nice, settled in, and was able to take my calls without any issue. I also made a quick detour to Floor and Decor to look at tile - when a staff member came up to me and asked if I needed help, I said that I was in the very beginnings of a design and construction of a bathroom remodel. This was factually accurate, although I didn't say that the number of bathrooms is between three and six, depending on various tings that might happen in the next couple. But I always enjoy looking at tile, so it was a fun detour.

Then I went to my allergy appointment, and we talked for much longer than was strictly necessary, mostly about waymo's and my extreme crab allergy (okay, maybe the crab allergy was relevant to an appointment with an allergy doctor, but we probably didn't need to go as deep as we did). Then I went to Target to load up on toiletries and Whole Foods to load up on groceries. I had wanted to go to Costco, but it was so hot that I didn't feel like adding more groceries to my car was really feasible without causing earlier purchases to get damaged.

So I drove home, unloaded my car, loaded up my freezer, and then hung out with [censored] until it was time for bed. And now I need to sleep so that I can accomplish all the things tomorrow - goodnight!

always gotta push my luck

I am safely ensconced in a hotel in downtown Des Moines, in the middle of the pursuit of a whole stack of errands. I occasionally need to get enough things done in the city, and without actually taking a day off, that it makes sense to come up, spend the night, and work from a hotel. 

So this morning I got up early, did some work while still in my pajamas, and then threw some stuff in a bag, watered various plants, and headed north. I left a little later than planned, so I stopped at Starbucks in Indianola to take a couple of meetings. Then I proceeded to Des Moines, but I was cutting it too close to figure out lunch, and I even up living dangerously by going to Long John Silvers. I hadn't been there in years (probably since one of Dad's hospital trips), and the gluten is definitely not my friend, but their two piece fish basket still slaps even though the fries are now waffle fries and the hush puppies seem smaller. 

Thus sated/poisoned, I went to my salon, where I got my hair cut and colored. The colorist was new to me, but she was significantly better than the woman I used to see in West Des Moines, so I think I'm sold on switching to this salon. Unfortunately the woman who cut my hair is going on maternity leave (fortunately for her, obviously), but hopefully the interim stylist is just as good. 

So that took awhile, and then I took a meeting from my car, sped to my hotel, checked in, and did three more hours of meetings from here. Feeling accomplished, I eventually went downstairs and had a drink and a steak (both massive) at the bar. And now I think I'm going to go to bed early so I can do all the things tomorrow - goodnight!

say goodbye to hollywood

I'm unusually tired tonight because I accidentally got up unusually early this morning. But I had a good day - I did a bit of writing before work, and then I quickly showered and had meetings straight through from ten to six with an insufficient thirty minute break in the mid afternoon.

After that I was wiped out, so I watered indoor and outdoor plants, did some laundry, and then sat on my balcony and pretended to plan future tasks but instead mostly zoned out. When [censored] got home I had a late dinner of various leftovers while chatting with him. And now I am going to go to bed a bit earlier than usual and hope that revives me - goodnight!

evening glow

I managed to be somewhat diligent at work today, by the skin of my teeth - I wasn't feeling it when I woke up, but I eked out a solid 8-9 hours of productivity (much of which was meetings). By six I was feeling done, and so I went outside and spent a good hour and a half gardening. I also talked to my mom and listened to an audiobook while doing so, which was quite nice. I got more tomatoes planted, planted some peppers and eggplants, got my mint and rosemary going, and generally felt quite pleased with my progress.

Then I ate a brownie, came upstairs with a glass of rosé, and wrote on my balcony until it was dark and the mosquitos started to come for me. Then I ate a late dinner of leftover tomatoes/mozzarella, steak, and baked potato, came upstairs, and wrote some more. And now I need to go to bed immediately if I'm going to repeat any of these feats tomorrow - goodnight!

you bury your treasure where it can't be found

I had a v nice weekend, thanks for asking - it's amazing what sun and eighty-degree whether can do for my mood. Yesterday I spent some quality time in the morning writing, and then I did various yard type activities. I finally got my raised beds fully prepped with additional dirt, and I planted some of the tings that I needed to plant. Then I ran an errand to Chariton to get some stakes for my plants + go to the larger grocery store there. I was in the mood to make caprese salad, and the local grocery store didn't have mozzarella, but luckily I was able to get it there. Then I came home, did some more tings, and eventually went to bed.

Today got off to a productive note earlier than usual, mostly because I was making lunch for family and needed to start the prep early. I put the tomatoes for the caprese salad in the oven (trust me) by 8:30am, and then I spent a couple of hours cleaning the dining room, reorganizing stuff in the garage that was blocking the east door, and getting the grill ready for the first grilling of the season.

This was all in preparation for a v. exciting visit - Drewbaby and Sammie and Aunt Kathy came down for the day, and they (obviously) brought Marcella (aka Drewbaby's baby). Kathy also brought ribeye, which was almost as exciting as the baby, but not quite. And Mom brought a pineapple upside down cake, which was v. tasty. We had a fun time hanging out today, and many stories were shared, and if Marcella comprehends any of it, I'm sure she will be eagerly awaiting more wonders that southern Iowa may hold for her in the future.

So, we hung out all day, and then everyone left (including [censored]), and suddenly I had the house to myself. I needed a bit of time to recuperate, which turned into not getting much done, but that's okay. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

love's the loudest sound

I have had a v boring week and I have nothing to report, which makes blogging feel somewhat excruciating. I worked all day yesterday, then got allergy shots, and then met Mom at the cemetery to decorate Dad and Gram/Granddad's graves. Dad's headstone got installed a couple of weeks ago, and it looks quite nice - of course, I would prefer if it did not need to exist, but since it does, I'm glad that it's taken care of. Then I came home and made elmer's chili for dinner, watched some SNL with [censored], and did various tasks until around midnight.

This morning I woke up late thanks to the late night, spent the morning attempting to write with mixed results, and then did a bunch of random stuff around the house / yard this afternoon. I need to get my plants in the ground, but that requires a bunch of prep, and I've been quite slow. However, I made some progress this afternoon before taking a break to make brownies for a belated treat for [censored]'s birthday. Then we went out to Mom's house, where I grilled brats, which we ate with some v tasty potato salad and baked beans that Mom made. It was a very nice day for being outside and grilling, and I hope that we finally warm up and stay warm, because this cold / cloudy spring is starting to get to me.

But now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

stick season

I have had v little to report since coming home - I was pretty wrecked on Tuesday thanks to the long travel day, and that feeling partially continued into Wednesday.

Yesterday I was a bit more able to get some tings done, which I did - and then I slacked off to go into town and have a margarita with Brenda and Bonita. Brenda and I had meant to get together for awhile and finally made plans after seeing each other at a board meeting last week - and then she invited Bonita so we could discuss various mural-related things. It was nice to hang out with them, and also nice to take a break from my laptop, so I'm glad we did it. 

Then I grabbed takeout for me and [censored], got some groceries, came home, relaxed/almost napped, and then miraculously wrote from nine to midnight. Of course, that made this morning a bit rough, but coffee went a long way toward helping me. I gave [censored] a ride to pick up his [censored], and then I came home and did day job stuff quite diligently all day. I wanted to write again tonight, but my brain refused, so I did some journaling and various other small tasks and generally chilled. 

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

giving up a part of me that no one needs to know

I'm back in ye olde Iowa after a very long travel day yesterday. When I woke up yesterday morning, Chandlord and I finished doing some packing, and then we hung out in the hot tub and pool for a couple of hours. But all good things must come to an end, and so we showered, got ready, and vacated the resort. Then we went to downtown Palm Springs, where we walked around and shopped for an hour, and then had a leisurely lunch at Clandestino. It was yet another delicious meal to cap off our trip - my tacos were tasty, and their chips and guac were perfect. Then we made a brief detour to see a gigantic statue of Marilyn Monroe, which would not have been worth anything more than the half block that we walked to see it. And then we drove the eight arduous minutes to the airport, where we dropped off the rental car, checked in, and hung out before our flights.

I had originally planned to go to San Francisco with Chandlord last night, which would have meant being on the same flight around 7pm. But my travel plans for the next few weeks have changed, so I took a 4pm flight to Denver instead. My flight was uneventful, and when I got to Denver, I had time to grab a mediocre ahi tuna bowl and a decent enough glass of rose at Mercantile in the A Concourse. I usually don't eat in the A Concourse, but since United has expanded there, sometimes I don't have a choice. Then I boarded my flight to Des Moines, and I was very glad that I was upgraded at the last minute because the flight itself was pretty rough. Iowa was having all sorts of weather last night, and there was major turbulence in the last half hour of the flight. Luckily, I had taken dramamine, but it still made for a pretty brutal re-entry.

By the time I got to Des moines, it was 11:30pm. I was able to get my bag pretty quickly, but I didn't make it home until after 1am - and next time I should probably stay in the city overnight, because the drive was very unpleasant. I also shouldn't have tried to get up this morning and have my regular slate of meetings because I was really not feeling in it to win it. But I made it through the day, worked until about six, and then [censored] and I picked up pizza because I didn't have any inclination to cook. We ate while watching this week's SNL season finale, which featured Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney and was overall pretty delightful. And then I came upstairs, did various tasks, and I'm now ready to crash so that hopefully I have enough energy to be more productive tomorrow. Goodnight!

girls are faking, goodness saking

I had another excellent day in the desert, and Vidya is still here, so I think she's having an okay time too. I got up pretty early, did some journaling, and then drove Chandlord to her time share presentation (which she was required to attend to get this room basically for free). Then I hung out at the pool until she got back (without purchasing a time share, which makes her stronger than I probably would have been).

Then we went into Palm Desert to grab brunch, which turned out to be great - we went to a delish Mexican place where the chilequiles were on point. We wandered around the shops for a bit and bought some truly ridiculous clothes, and then we came back and spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool. 

Eventually we went to the nearby JW Marriott, which had a fancier vibe, where we had cocktails and fries, and then I had a sushi roll and a glass of rosé. And then we came back and watched "Wine Country", which was quite silly and fun. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

jack trainer

I don't know about Chandlord, but I had an excellent day in the desert. I woke up absurdly early due to the time difference, and I drove off site to grab Starbucks as fuel for my morning. Then I came back and did some journaling while Vidya woke up. Then I showered and hung out by the pool while she finished getting ready, and we drove into Palm Springs to avail ourselves of the various tings to do. 

So we put our names in for brunch at Farm, and we window shopped nearby while waiting for a table. Brunch was really excellent, and the vibe was good (for me, at least; unclear if Vidya is enjoying herself at all, but I am delighted). Then we went to various shops and browsed various things, but other than an expensive pair of reading glasses, I was quite frugal. 

Then we came back to the resort, relaxed a bit, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. We grabbed dinner at the only restaurant at the resort, which was tastier than I expected, and we ended it early when the winds picked up and we started tasting sand instead of salt. We got an impromptu golf cart lift back to our room, and then we watched "Lost City", which we have actually watched together before, but I always like Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. Again, not sure Vidya is enjoying herself, but c'est la vie I guess. 

And now it's time for bed - but not before wishing [censored] a happy [censored]! Goodnight!

I heard you calling on the megaphone

I had a lovely day in Palm Desert, thanks for asking. I got up early enough to write for a bit, and then I got ready, packed, checked out of my room, and caught an Uber back to the airport. When I got there, I rendezvoused with Chandlord and also picked up a rental car, which we very much need since things are spread out in the desert.

Vidya and I grabbed brunch downtown, which was a delight. Then we checked into the hotel (again) and luckily our room was ready. So we spent the afternoon hanging out at a variety of pools, soaking in a bunch of sun, and generally catching up.

After we showered, cleaned up, etc, we went back into Palm Springs, where we grabbed a drink at Truss and Twine, and then had a v tasty dinner at Eight4Nine. The crowd around here is v eclectic - we saw some moms potentially getting their daughters drunk, a lot of surprisingly cut dresses, and also a lot of gay men. So far so good, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the weekend. 

And now I'm exhausted and need to go to bed - goodnight!

it all just takes over you

I have arrived in Palm Desert after a long but uneventful travel day. My morning was pretty easy peasy since my flight wasn't until 11:30, and I got to the airport in time to eat breakfast before my flight. Today was the first day that the Des Moines airport had new numbers for their gates - after flying out of the A concourse (either A2 or A4) my entire life, suddenly I was flying out of gate 25. This is all in preparation for their new terminal, which should be quite nice. Still, it was v strange, and I'm glad [censored] saw it on the news and told me last night, or else I would have been super confused. 

Anyway, I had a long layover in Denver, so I grabbed a burger at Elway's and then took a glass of wine to go so I could sit in a random gate area and talk to Adit and Baz. Then I boarded and slept most of the eat to Palm Springs, but the landing almost made me vomit, and I've felt pretty off the rest of the night. 

So I Ubered to my hotel, where I did not settle in bc I have to check out and switch rooms tomorrow. Instead, I took a walk around to check things out, grabbed a smoothie, and sat on the balcony while the sun set. My balcony view is perhaps better, but the balcony has no mosquitos, so it's a trade off.

And now I must sleep - goodnight!