first sip of coffee

I had a really delightful day, all in all - it's great to be around other writers, and also great to be in Lake Tahoe after two years away. I messed around this morning and then took a walk - partially to mail my absentee ballot for the Denver elections next week, and partially to check out the new Whole Foods that opened here since the last time I was here. It was a nice day for a walk even if things are still really slushy from yesterday's snow, and it was great to get out of the house for a bit.

Then I came back to the house, made a tuna melt (which convinced Grace to also make a tuna melt), and spent some time working on book stuff. I broke for a bit to talk to Alyssa, which was illuminating as per usual. Then I messed around online, ordered dinner for the group (delicious Indian takeout), and then enjoyed said Indian takeout.

The surprise came after dinner - I was completely shocked when my friends all started singing happy birthday and brought out cupcakes, a balloon, gifts, and sparkling rosé. In fact, I was so shocked that I started singing happy birthday because I had no idea what was going on (ha). I had planned to do something fun and raucous for my 40th but had canceled it due to the 'rona, but they decided to help me celebrate tonight. It was such a fun surprise, and I'm glad I got to celebrate with them! And a bottle of rosé (which I shared) + a Sephora gift card (among other things, which I did not share) were pretty #onbrand gifts.

So, that was a super surprise, and I spent the rest of the evening drinking some rosé and basking in the glow of good company (and a working fireplace, which was fixed this afternoon). And now I should really sleep - I want to write as much as possible tomorrow, and sleep would be useful for that goal. Goodnight!

i want your body, need your body

I'm exhausted and I just stayed up approximately two hours later than I planned, but that's the danger of starting a book (which is why I don't read enough). I had to get up at six this morning to prep for my fridge delivery, which was scheduled between seven and one - unfortunately they showed up at noon, which meant the early morning wakeup was pretty unnecessary. But I did get my food safely packed up out of my fridge, and I pulled out the old fridge and tested the water supply / flushed the line that hadn't been used in years (if ever), and I also mopped where the fridge had been, so that felt v. productive.

I also spent some quality time this morning washing my sheets, doing more laundry, and finally setting up the extra monitor and computer that work sent me to help me be more productive (what are they trying to tell me?). And when the fridge came, I had quite a bit of work to do to get it ready - I had to remove all sorts of plastic and clingwrap, and clean the interior, and flush a couple of gallons through the water dispenser. I think I'm going to love it - it's already so much quieter than my previous fridge, and it has an *icemaker*, which brings me firmly into this new decade. And it fits perfectly - so perfectly that it made me nervous going in, but it looks great.

After all that + putting away my food, I was pretty wrecked, but I forced myself to keep going with household chores and tidying things up. Then I took a shower a little before six because I hadn't showered all day and wanted to be clean for my clean sheets. And then I picked up a pizza from Blue Pan, popped a bottle of (finally chilled) champagne, and did a bit of celebrating. Tonight felt pretty historic, and I'm hoping better days are ahead for all of us, but we shall see.

That turned into taking a break from screens to read a book - I finally started A DEADLY EDUCATION by Naomi Novik, which has been out a few months and which I've been saving for the right moment. It's totally different from her last couple of fantasies, but I'm really enjoying it. I'm probably 60-70% in and if I weren't so ridiculously tired I would just power through - but I want to enjoy the ending, and I can feel myself fading, so I really need to sleep. Goodnight!

crazy's my new best friend

I had a pretty lovely day, all in all - much better than I deserved, perhaps. I woke up this morning after slightly too little sleep (I stayed up an extra fifteen minutes last night texting with the friendship renewal crew, some of whom may have to evacuate from the wildfires that are spreading in the south bay (!)), and so I didn't get to write this morning (although I did journal for ten minutes). My meetings started at 8:30 and went straight through until 2, which was a bummer. But I ordered a spicy tuna poke bowl for lunch - I'm considering ordering lunch once a week while I'm working from home, since lunch by the end of the week is usually some weird mix of leftovers. Today's lunch was a success - even if a tuna poke bowl is, in some ways, not that dissimilar from the fact that I would have opened a can of tuna for lunch today. Of course, in almost all important ways, it's totally different (like, tuna that is high enough quality to eat raw is usually not what ends up in a can full of olive oil)...but regardless, lunch was tasty.

Then I slogged most of the afternoon, although I took a quick break to go to my favorite cheese shop down the street and grab some cheeses. I'd had a work videoconference with Alice (the other Alice that lives in Colorado, not the one who lives in London), and I discovered that she had just moved to Denver, and that her new roommate was a girl named Emily who worked with us both alllll the way back in 2008. So I invited them over for an impromptu happy hour, and it was wonderful - I hadn't seen Emily more than once or twice in the last twelve years, and so it was great to catch up with her. She just up and moved here from San Francisco....and apparently the housing market here is red hot, because Alice and Emily had trouble finding a place to rent and Alice's house in a different CO town went under contract in three days. Craziness.

So we had a great time hanging out and eating fancy cheese and drinking the prosecco that Alice brought. The prosecco was necessary because I had had to deal with a late afternoon work drama (nothing bad, just requiring some delicate work that I probably wasn't very delicate with)....and by the time Alice and Emily left, I didn't care anymore, which was nice. I cleaned up my house, put away dishes, watched some of the DNC, and read up on Twitter. And now, I think I'm going to actually try to go to bed early (yay) - goodnight!

ave maria

Today was a high holiday in my calendar, since it was the long-awaited wedding of Prince Harry (who somehow did not choose me, weird) and Meghan Markle. However, I did not get up to watch it live - I hate mornings, as you all know. Instead, I slept in, then spent most of the day trying to organize my office - it's the only messy room in the house, and I need to get it straightened up so I can focus better.

But after taking care of house stuff, doing five loads of laundry, changing the sheets on my bed, buying groceries, etc., etc. I finally decided I had done enough, and so I spent the last five hours watching the BBC wedding coverage that I'd recorded this morning. It was a super chill way to spend the evening, and a casual outside observer might have found it a wee bit creepy (I turned off the lights, lit all the candles in my fireplace, and drank a half-bottle of champagne)...but don't judge.

Anyway, the wedding was gorgeous, and I loved the vibe - as someone who is obsessed with every era of the monarchy from William the Conquerer on, it's v. interesting, and perhaps awe-inspiring, to feel like I just witnessed the start of an entirely new chapter and an incredible bit of evolution from what the monarchy has been to what it could be. It was fresh and modern in a way that previous royal weddings weren't - but that's the flexibility that a spare has, especially a spare who is getting married after the queen has lived through ninety years of scandals and sorrows caused by prioritizing state duty over love.

sssanyway. I could wax on about this for hours, but I would be better served by going to bed - goodnight!

then spring became the summer

So, today was pretty relaxing even though my emails are piling up - I got up, took my time getting ready while drinking some coffee, said hi/bye to Katrina, and then went to work, where I did a bit of stuff while eating breakfast. But from 10am to 5pm I was in a training - it was heavy on meditation and mindfulness, which was a good break from my usual shenanigans. It continues tomorrow and part of Thursday, so that may be too much mindfulness, but so far so good.

But at five I was done, and I spent some time talking to some people before rendezvousing with Katrina. We dropped my car off at my house, then walked to River and Woods, which is my nearby favorite. It was a magical location for dinner - they have a back patio that is way larger than I realized (I have only gone when it's cold/raining/not patio-worthy), so we sat back there and admired the venue and the food and the waitstaff. We ended up getting upsold on a bottle of fancy champagne (they were out of what we wanted to drink, but offered us a bottle of nice champagne they'd stocked for mother's day, and gave us a discount on it, so we took it and #noregrets, since it was fucking delicious). We also ended up having not one, but two orders of poutine (again, #noregrets). We also had oysters and deviled eggs, and a lot of fun conversation, and my favorite bartender was thrilled to see me, so that was all delightful.

But now, I should really go to bed since I should work tomorrow before starting the trainings again. Goodnight!

she sets the city on fire

I have successfully arrived in ye olde Iowa after an easyish travel day punctuated by mild annoyances. I woke up this morning, finished packing, moved my car down the street (they're trimming trees in my complex today, which was v. poorly timed since it meant I had to leave my car at the office), and then took care of the last pieces of stuff around the house so that I could vacate it in good shape. Then I stopped at REI, which is practically a 24/7 operation in Boulder, and bought a new long coat - my previous long coat is a little too tight over sweaters, and it's about to get cold as fuck in Boulder, which reminded me that I need to get a legit winter coat while I still have a chance. No, the patagonia down jacket that I wear all the time in SF/Boulder is not sufficient for winter, even if SF in summer often feels like winter.

Then I went to the office and slogged as much as I could, interrupted by an alcohol emergency (long story) that necessitated me dropping some champagne off somewhere before taking a lyft to the bus station. I tried the bus to the airport for the first time and it worked out quite well - it was definitely cheaper than parking at the airport or taking a lyft all the way there (the bus is ~$9, but my company bought us bus passes, so it was free except for the lyft to get to the bus station). It took longer than driving would have, but all in all it was a pretty pleasant experience (although it was super hot on the bus, but I've already forgotten that pain, so we're all good).

When I got to the airport, I stopped in for a snack at Cantina Grill, where I worked on my laptop until I realized I needed to leave immediately to walk to my gate. My flight was slightly oversold, so I didn't want to be late to board - especially because the plane fit like eight people, so any late arrival would have been super obvious. Okay, it fit more than eight, but not a lot more - I had both a window and an aisle seat because the plane had a seat on one side and two seats on the other, if that tells you anything about the comfort level of the flight....

We were twenty minutes late taking off, but we made up some time in the air, and when I landed my parents and [censored] were waiting. We had dinner at Johnny's, as per usual (they carry one of my favorite pinot noirs (Meiomi), which was nice even though I wasn't particularly in love with the meal this time) - but any lack in food was made up for by our favorite waiter, who we always happen to see when we go there. Then we drove home, and now i need to sleep so that I can work tomorrow (working from home to get some stuff done, but then hopefully taking the rest of the break completely off if I can swing it). Goodnight!

help me stay awake i'm falling

I had a v. lovely day even if it involved far too much driving around the bay area (which is a good reminder that I never want to have to drive/commute here regularly again). I woke up a little later than I should have this morning after only getting six hours of sleep, so I really should go to bed immediately...but I managed to drag myself out of bed, make coffee, walk Lily, eat breakfast, shower, and get out the door in a reasonable time frame. I needed to pick up a rental car at SFO, and before I did that I needed to stop at Nordstrom in SF (which was basically on the way) to pick up a pair of shoes I'd bought from the anniversary sale. So I took BART from Berkeley to SF, made a quick stop to pick up the shoes (they're lovely, thanks for asking!), and then took BART to SFO to get the rental car.

Unfortunately the car kind of smells like someone was trying to cover up the smell of vomit, which is a real bummer since it has less than two thousand miles on it. But it was the only one available, except for one that had a note on the window in marker chalk saying that there was an issue with the tires, so I chose smell over risk. I like driving with my windows down anyway, so it isn't the end of the world.

Then I drove back into SF to have a too-quick lunch with Lauren (aka Subz) - her life is chaotic and mine has been v. focused on being a hermit in the east bay, so this was a good chance for us to get together. We talked about all manner of subjects in a relatively short period of time, and I was super bummed to say goodbye to her - but I try to content myself with the knowledge that I'll be back in September, so hopefully I'll see her more thoroughly then.

Then I drove back the east bay, which took an hour at 3pm (this place is a cesspool). Then I did a couple of hours of work. Then I picked up Chandlord at the BART station, and we hung out in the backyard and drank wine and talked about life. Eventually Claudia and Sam showed up, and even more eventually the pizza we ordered showed up, and it was super fun (C/S) and super tasty (the pizza). At some point John and Jess joined us and we spent a long, lovely time in the hot tub, drinking prosecco and pretending it was spring break (and pretending that we don't all need the hot tub for our aging joints).

And now I need to go to bed so that I can accomplish all the things tomorrow - goodnight!

i can keep a beat with no metronome

Today was lovely, but I need to sleep. I spent far too much time this morning reading social media, which now seems to be spectacularly imploding every thirty minutes or so, but I dragged myself out of bed and through the shower so that I could be out of the house by ten. My first stop was to get a bottle of champagne for the afternoon's activities, and then I dropped my rental car off at the car agency. Then I took a lyft all the way out to the ocean....

...where I was slightly early for a ladies-who-lunch date at the Cliff House with my writer friends. This has become our go-to spot since it's easy for everyone to get to, and it's a great place for lunch if you like looking at the water and being fancy. Lunch included Grace, Veronica, Anne, Barbara, and Poppy, and the six of us were there for three hours and probably annoyed the waitstaff by hanging out for so long, but #yolo.

Sadly, when it was over I had to say goodbye to almost everyone - I'll see Grace in Sedona in a month, and I'll see Barbara and V in Orlando in July, but I might not see Anne until the end of September since she might not be here when I'm back in August :( So after I said all my farewells, Veronica and I went back to her place - she and her husband had invited me over for dinner to recreate our Venice evenings, so I went back with her and we tried to work. And by that I mean we talked about working (we're both at the start of projects - me at the start of a new book, her at the start of massive edits) and looked up all the books/movies I need to read/watch to do research for SPINSTER HONEYMOON.

Then we hung out with Adam while he made dinner (a delish pasta puttanesca that I could have eaten waaaaay more of). Their son ate dinner with us, and then they showed me their Oculus VR setup - I was kind of stunned at how amazing it is. The first game they put me in involved shooting things in space, which I really liked. The second was traumatic - it just involved moving around a space station exploring it, and I was immediately afraid of heights and nauseated by my floating movements, so I had to get out. Then I tried a boxing game (I wasn't so good) and a sword-fighting game (better, but I knocked something over in real life). But I can see the future now, and in fifteen years we'll all be living in Oculus worlds so we can forget that the real world has become a dumpster fire. And people like me who can't move in an Oculus world without throwing up will end up in some sad netherworld caste where we have to take care of the physical bodies of the people living in Oculus....

...but I digress. After that, Adam made dessert (strawberries and homemade whipped cream!), and then V and I watched '27 Dresses' in the name of research. Adam started to watch with us but bailed immediately, and V and I stuck it out, but we *hated* it - there was so much wrong with the story and how the characters were built, and everyone was horribly unlikeable. Ugh. But I learned what not to do, so I guess that's good?

And then I said goodbye, came back to Katrina's with a v. friendly lyft driver, and now I shall sleep - goodnight!

it always comes as a surprise when i feel my withered roots begin to grow

I have come to associate Boston with somehow being both incredibly delighted and nauseatingly full. This is, of course, all Ritu's fault.

I could probably end the blog post there, but in the interest of posterity, I'll continue. I woke up at four a.m. thinking it was nine, but that was a trick played by my jetlag, so I slept fitfully until eight. Then I stumbled out of bed and talked to Ritu - we caught up on many tings while she force-fed me berries and yogurt and cheese and chocolate and tea and coffee. Then Bill woke up, at which point the champagne started, and didn't really stop until it was time to shower.

Our main plan for the day was a decadent 2:30pm 'brunch' at Bistro du Midi. I had two cocktails, tuna tartare, a delicious burger with goat cheese, and some sorbet, and was thus completely stuffed. At that point my body thought it was eleven p.m., and so when Ritu suggested that we walk in the park across the street from the restaurant, we walked for approximately five minutes before I sat down and then promptly took a nap in the grass. #noregrets

Eventually, I forced myself awake (Bill also fell asleep, and Ritu amused herself by taking pictures of us, apparently). Ritu's friends Anne and Dan showed up, and we started talking, and kept talking until I suddenly demanded water so that I wouldn't die. So we walked down the street, I drank water from a public fountain and probably got cholera, got some more water at a Nespresso store, and then took the train toward Ritu's house, where we all went to a bar and sat outside and enjoyed conversation and tater tots. It was a perfectly gorgeous, summery day in Boston (mid-80s, which made for a great night), so we sat outside until it eventually started sprinkling, and then Anne and Dan went home.

Of course, Ritu couldn't let us stop eating after that, so Bill, Ritu, and I went down the street to a cook-your-own Japanese barbecue place. I was still so full that I had a sprite and some miso soup and a bit of rice just to get Ritu from trying to force me to eat anything else (this strategy was only marginally successful). Then we came home, Bill expressed shock at the amount of washi tape I've been traveling with, and we listened to a bunch of Billy Joel.

And now I must sleep - goodnight!

god save the queen

Today got off to a v. inauspicious start - the fire alarm went off at 7:30am, right as I was waking up and debating going back to sleep and skipping the community breakfast. So I stumbled downstairs, and it was a false alarm (probably someone else's shower), but since I was already up and Michelle saw me up, I decided I should probably go to breakfast.

This was a mistake. I should have gotten more sleep instead. I probably should never have kids, since I can't seem to function on less than eight (seven at the least) hours of sleep for more than one night a week. But I showered and made it downstairs by 8:15 to meet for breakfast. It seems that most people made better decisions than I did, since it was only Michelle and this guy Edgar (don't learn his name, he's leaving tomorrow). We went to Bluebird, which I've been to a couple of times before, and it was actually lowkey and lovely, but my energy was already flagging by nine a.m.

But I'd taken my laptop with me, so I abandoned them and stopped at a cute coffeeshop called Wanted Man that I'd been wanting to try. The coffee was good and I got a juice as well - I had a horrific headache for most of the day, and I was hoping the juice would help. It didn't, but I got some writing done, so that was good.

Then I came back here and worked more of the afternoon, when I wasn't nursing my headache or eating lunch. And at four p.m. I took a twenty-minute nap, which I probably should have done at ten a.m. since it went a long way toward restoring me.

Then I threw on real clothes and went to today's exciting adventure - a semi-private tour of Buckingham Palace. I've never been since the palace is usually only open during the summer when the queen is at Balmoral, and I saw this ticket by chance a month ago and bought it. I'm so glad that I did - the tour was only thirty people, and we were guided around for an hour and a half and shown all kinds of wonderful stuff. I'm obviously a suuuuuuuper dork about all of it, both the historical stuff (the guy who collected much of the stuff in the most impressive rooms was George IV, who was better known as the Prince Regent while George III was too mad to rule, and the Regency period is named after him) and the modern stuff (when we stepped into the music room, I immediately knew it was where a bunch of royals had been baptized, because I am crazy).

Anyway, I loved every second of it - picturing both the balls and soirees of Victoria's day and the pomp and ceremony of the present, and all the history in and around the building and its contents. The tour ended with a glass of champagne, which encouraged me to buy a mug in the giftshop (it's no Starbucks mug, but I'll be drinking tea out of it for a long time anyway). No photos were allowed in the palace, so you'll just have to trust me that it was super cool.

When I was done, I took a few pictures outside as the sun was setting, and then I came back to Roam, ordered some thai food (I was starving, so I ate it all), and hung out briefly with some people who were getting ready to go out to the pubs. I, however, am taking the virtuous path and going to bed right now so that I can get lots of glorious sleep before doing lots of glorious work tomorrow. Goodnight!

but it ain't nothing new

Today was kind of a mess - I woke up with all sorts of good intentions, but I got derailed pretty quickly by all the nervous energy that surrounds the day when RITA/Golden Heart finalists are announced. Sadly I didn't final, and I disliked one of the books that finaled in my category when I read it last year -- but it took until 7pm in London to be absolutely sure that I didn't final, which made for a long day.

However, a couple of my friends finaled, so that was exciting. And I had already decided that I would have champagne tonight regardless of what the result was. So at 3pm, when it was clear I would not get anything done beyond the little I'd written in the morning, I walked to Bluebird and had a cheeseburger and fries and a glass of wine, followed by champagne and some writing. That was a decent way to clear my head. I also stopped at Zara on the way home and bought a truly ridiculous sweatshirt (ripped up and covered in paint and metallics), so my retail therapy helped.

And when I say it helped, I mean it - I got back around 7:15, made some tea, answered some emails I'd been neglecting (but not all of them), and then put in another solid hour of writing. That puts me in a much better place for tomorrow, so I'm going to take it as a win. And the sooner I finish this book, the sooner I can do something else, which is becoming my mantra. Goodnight!

champagne wishes and caviar dreams

My body is rebelling against all the food and champagne I forced into it today, and the especially cruel double whammy of making it walk for hours in between food/champagne stops. But today was a lovely day in London town. I woke up in time to shower before writing for half an hour in the early morning hours (where 'early' equals '9am'), which was v. necessary. Then I walked over to South Kensington to meet Jen so that I could show her my favorite haunts.

We started with brunch at Muriel's - the wait wasn't bad, and my halloumi and poached eggs (the same dish I had earlier this week) was perfect. Then we ended up going to the V&A Museum quite by accident, where Jen got a v. oddly specific tour from me (and by that I mean that whenever we saw something I knew something about, I told her about it - this mostly means anything between 1790 and 1820). We saw some highly enjoyable fashion stuff, and some delightful furnishings/gold/decorative stuff, and then ended up trapped in an odd assortment of rooms related to theatrical productions that had a lot of creepy costumes and many blocked exits. #donotlike

So we left the museum and stopped by Roam so that Jen could see where I live (verdict: she liked it but we're both glad Google is paying for a hotel for her). Then we wandered up and down Kings Road for a couple of hours, doing some desultory shopping - of course, she's the one who wanted to shop and I'm the one who ended up buying boots. That's the story of my life, so #noregrets.

Then we took the tube one stop to Victoria, and we decided we were both too exhausted to walk for another hour, so I took one for the team and had a glass of champagne (real champagne! veuve clicquot!) so that we could sit at a bar for an hour. We then proceeded to the main event: high tea at the Goring Hotel.

The Goring Hotel, as I'm sure all of you know, is where the Duchess of Cambridge (née Kate Middleton) and her family stayed in the days leading up to her wedding back in 2011 (what, you didn't all know that?). It was also a favorite hangout of the Queen Mother, and the current queen still goes there on occasion. More importantly, I'd read that they have one of the best gluten-free high teas in London. So when I found out Jen was coming, I promptly made a reservation - and I have to say that it was spectacular.

My gluten-free tea was just as impressive as hers, which is a rare feat. We had four finger sandwiches - my favorites were the curried chicken salad and the salmon, but the cheese sandwich and the roast beef were lovely too. There were two scones apiece, and they were perfect - both on their own and as a vehicle for delivering as much devonshire cream and jam into my mouth as possible. And the desserts on top were too much - I didn't actually finish mine, since there were five apiece, but the macaroon was great and I adored the chocolate/coffee cake.

We also had two glasses of champagne there (real champagne again), so I was feeling very full and mildly tipsy by the end. We were both basically falling asleep at this point, which made for a low-energy goodbye - but I'll see Jen again this week, either for something impromptu or for the dinner we've reserved for Friday night.

I then came home, took a nap, messed around online because I'm too tired to think, and now need to sleep for real - goodnight!

what'd i miss

Today was really lovely if you ignore the fact that I have a book due very imminently. I woke up at eight, made tea, and read and journaled in bed - it felt kind of like the peace I attained at the silent retreat, and I was in a way better mood today than yesterday because of it. Or maybe I was in a better mood because the sun was out, which is always better.

So because the sun was out, I decided to go for a walk and take advantage of it. I had lunch at Muriel's, which is a brunch-y type place that I've been to a couple of times already - the people watching at the window bar is great, and today's food choice was perfect (grilled halloumi cheese, tomatoes, and poached eggs, with a side of excellent fried potatoes). Then I took the tube to the British Museum. It's free, so I felt no guilt about dipping in and out for an hour. I mostly went down the ancient Europe corridor, and was made sad by a box full of human bones, and started daydreaming about all the people who lived, died, and were buried with objects that are now on display in a way they never, ever could have imagined. I ended up in the Sutton Hoo room, with all the burial horde that was discovered in a ceremonially buried ship, and now I'm dreaming of stories that have nothing to do with the Regency...

...but I have to finish this fucking book first. So I left, and wandered toward Covent Garden - I wanted to walk through Seven Dials, which used to be one of London's most notorious slums. It's got seven streets radiating out from a central circle, with lots of little nooks and alleyways that started out posh back in the 1600s and then quickly degenerated into a nest for thieves and whores. But now it's in the heart of some prime real estate, and the alley I stumbled into was totally gorgeous - if I didn't need to write, I would have spent the rest of the afternoon drinking prosecco in the sun and watching people come and go.

But writing had to get done, so I came back to Roam and worked for a couple of hours. I should have kept working, but I'd already rsvp'd yes to community dinner, which was at Bluebird - which, it turns out, was rather posh. I liked my risotto, although it was so full of garlic that I probably won't be fit company for a day or two. And they comped us some champagne to start since Michelle (the community manager) organized it, so that was a lovely beginning.

But just as we were done, some dude showed up 2.5 hours late, and proceeded to order food, and I was beyond over it, so Jenn and I paid and left the rest of them to babysit him. And now I am going to sleep - I should write more tonight, but sleep is probably the better decision. Goodnight!

only way to go is up

I'm exhausted, and I've been exhausted all day...which is mostly my own fault, since I didn't go to bed early enough, and also was sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, and also had my full share of two bottles of wine last night, and also am still somewhat recovering from being sick. This resulted in me mostly bailing on all my plans today, which was kind of a bummer...but more on that in a sec.

I had a v. lazy morning in San Jose - thanks to my aforementioned issues, I didn't really get out of bed until ten, which was about two hours later than I had planned for. When I rolled downstairs, Salim was just starting to make breakfast, so I drank some coffee and sat at the counter and talked to him while he cooked. Heather (aka dear respected madam) eventually came down as well, and we had a leisurely breakfast (eggs and bacon for me, pancakes and bacon for them), and I begged Salim for more coffee because I wasn't sure I could survive without it.

Even before breakfast was served, I texted people to cancel plans. The main plan was with Katrina - I was supposed to do a tour of Victorian homes with her and a couple of her friends, but knew I was going to be pushing it (even in the best case) to get back to the city in time). I was also supposed to get together with Tom and write, but that didn't happen either. So, I ate, and I drank a lot of coffee, and I talked to Heather, and I was v. loath to leave...

...but I had to leave eventually. So I said my farewells, and I drove home, and it took longer than I wanted (it was raining, which made for a stressful drive). When I got here, I was so tired that I laid down on the couch, and during my nap I slept through my nap alarm (that never happens), which means I got an hour of sleep but definitely couldn't make any afternoon plans happen. Then I called my parents, who were delightful. And then I thought about working, but instead wasted time on the internet....

...and then my plans with Tom rekindled themselves, since our original plan had been to write and then have dinner with Julie, and he held me to the dinner plan even though the writing plan hadn't worked out. So I threw on some pants again and took a lyft to Julie and Deano's place. We drank the bottle of champagne I took over, and we ate some v. delicious fish with potatoes/mushrooms and also some of the best brussels sprouts I've ever had at someone's house (Tom made them even though he doesn't live there, and they were perfect). Our conversation was super fun, and then took a sideways turn into a big argument about the Komen Foundation, which was quite entertaining (I've spent so much time arguing recently that it's making me revive my old dream of going into journalism/media....).

But then I came home, and now I really should sleep - I need to get back into some healthy sleep patterns so I can be more productive in the morning. Goodnight!

come on come on turn the radio on

No time to blog tonight - I had an awesome, hectic, chaotic, beautiful, exhausting day, and there are more of those to come, so I need to get the six hours of sleep that I might possibly be able to get if I go to bed right now (like, right right now). But I spent the morning taking care of tings (personal business and to-dos, a rapid-fire trip to Sephora to get new foundation since I've gotten too much sun this summer and my usual foundation looks grim, etc., etc.). And then I quite selfishly spent two glorious hours watching the livestream of the women's gymnastics all-around final, which was #worthit. And yes, I cried at the end.

But then I had to stop being selfish and start being social, so I threw on a dress and my new foundation (and rocked the beachy waves I'd created with an abundance of mousse and sea salt spray) and dashed out the door to go to a mani/pedi place in Potrero Hill. You might note that I just got a manicure yesterday, which is true; today was a pedicure with Ritu's bridesmaids. It was really fun and lovely - I took champagne, and Connie took the most delicious hummus I've ever had, and we all hung out and enjoyed each others' company.

Then things got hectic, including a trip to the grocery store at the wrong time, finding an uber for Bill's mom, getting Ritu and all the groceries back to the airbnb (and getting yelled at by the neighbor for parking illegally - lol), making a thirty-second dash into Lauren and Nathan's house to return the sunglasses he left at my place on Saturday and also to kiss Finley on the head while he stared angrily at me for interrupting his dinner, and then dropping my car off at home so that I could drink tonight (although as it turned out, I didn't drink enough to warrant this).

Then I lyfted back to the airbnb, and we had a lovely evening (after an hour of total chaos getting everything ready) - I hung out with people, and ate some pizza, and got mehndi on my hands (it looks great!), and generally had a delightful time.

But now I've written way more than I intended to, and I need to get some sleep if I have any hope of functioning tomorrow. Goodnight!

international love

I'm sitting on the floor of my room, blogging on my phone to keep from awakening my roommates. Today was another fabulous day in New Orleans - I woke up with a major stomachache (after not sleeping most of last night because of it), but I had an awesome day despite that. This involved drag queen brunch with bottomless mimosas, an afternoon of leisure and pool time and questionable video-making with Roopa, lightning-fast attempts at cleanliness, and dinner at Cafe Amelie, where the food was great and the private room was even greater. And we had the hotel bar to ourselves when we got back, so we drank Titus Andromedon wine by the bottle and played cards against humanity and wished Ritu off to her wedded bliss in style.

But now I need to sleep - I shall recount more details when I have a compute again. Goodnight!

put apprehension on the back burner, let it sit, don't even get it lit

This was as hermity of a day as I've had in awhile, but I'm happy with where the writing took me (eventually), so I guess it's okay that I basically spent the last sixteen hours on my couch. I got up with all sorts of excitement and energy for the writing day ahead, but I got sidetracked online and squandered some of that momentum - I need a better plan for avoiding the internet, which may require a nuclear holocaust to remove the internet from existence (although that would make it a little more difficult for me to sell ebooks, so maybe that's not the best solution).

But despite that slow start, I got some solid writing in over the course of the late morning/afternoon, with a break to take a nap and meditate (I'm still liking the Headspace app, if you're curious, although you might guess that I do not do the best job at simply observing my thoughts and letting them go - but that's why I'm practicing). I also took a shower (huge accomplishment!) and sat on my terrace with champagne and a book for twenty minutes, but Karl the Fog drove me back indoors.

Then I spent the evening working, with a break to order dinner from Sprig, which may become my new go-to - they showed up in less than fifteen minutes, with a dinner that was the perfect size and also amazingly tasty (vietnamese beef with mixed greens, vermicelli noodles, carrots, daikon, and crunchy rice), and also with nutrients and ingredients and allergens clearly defined. And it was <$15 (actually, it was only $5 because I had a first-time discount). So that was super delicious, super convenient, and way easier than going to the grocery store and cooking would have been (and probably more nutritious, since I would have skipped the carrots and daikon and just eaten a bunch of meat or something). And it fueled me pretty well, so I ate that, drank another glass of champagne, and wrote until 9:30 or so.

Then, I told myself I would take a break for an hour, so I picked up Mistborn again - and of course that turned into reading until 1am. Oops. I'm kind of tempted to pick it up again after I post this, since I think I'm getting close to the end of the second book in the trilogy, but I should probably go to bed. But maybe the story will kidnap me, we'll see. I emerged from my book haze at one to seek hydration and put on pajamas, and then I had a startling realization about my own book, which I wrote down as fast as possible so I wouldn't lose it, which should make edits go a lot better than they have been. So if reading for four hours instead of working got me that realization, it was very well worth it.

And now I need to go to bed (even though we all know I'm going to stay up and read until three) - goodnight!

what's that jacket, margiela?

Still haven't hit my ten p.m. bedtime this week, but I'm getting closer, and I'm going to bed as soon as I post this. Today was gorgeous, though, and well worth recounting. I spent the morning getting stuff done at home (mainly making and consuming coffee and eggs, along with a few other things). Then, I drove to Mill Valley to rendezvous with my friend Grace. She also writes historicals, and she's one of my favorite author friends although I don't see her very often (her schedule is hectic and she has a kid; my schedule is hectic because I'm half-nomad).

We had agreed to a writing day, but it turns out that she's taking a break from writing (her latest book came out a couple of weeks ago), which meant that I was going to write and she was going to read a book. This went about as well as you can imagine. Actually, I was quite productive in the morning - we sat at a table inside this gorgeous grocery store, drinking smoothies to keep ourselves going (and later getting coffee, which was quite good). And I got some solid words in and finished the scene I really needed to finish today, so I'm happy with that.

But Grace and I hadn't really caught up since Hawaii, and we didn't see each other enough there, either, so we had a lot to discuss. We ended up playing hooky from the writing for the afternoon and going to Gloria Ferrer, where we sat on the terrace for three hours and caught up over bubbles and cheese and charcuterie. I had a glass of the anniversary rosé, which was pretty close to perfect, and I converted Grace to the blanc de noirs that is my favorite (although she is a self-proclaimed lightweight, and it's good she's self-proclaimed, because if she wasn't aware of it, everyone would have made it known to her by now). And we talked about tons of wonderful and not-so-wonderful stuff related to writing, genres, business trends, etc. I also got mildly sunburned, but you gotta pay the cost to be the boss.

Then we eventually went back to Mill Valley and worked for another hour. And then I parted ways with her, came home (traffic was great in this direction), and ordered a pizza because I'm out of groceries and didn't feel like rectifying the situation. And now, after a gorgeous day of writing and sunlight and sparkling wine and friendship, it's time to sleep - goodnight!

i'm not turned on to love until it's cheap

[editor's note: wrote this last night, but it somehow didn't post, probably because I was drunk. Also the paragraph about Noir Lounge makes no sense because Adit didn't talk about turkeys, to my knowledge, but I'm leaving it for posterity. Also, the dance recital turned into a bit of a Loro reunion, which was hysterical. But I should say that Adit, Ritu, Claude and I ended up splitting a bottle of rosé, had three rounds of cocktails, and then split a bottle of port with some other people at the table....and port nights are always epically fun disasters. Then we went to Yamasho with Chandlord and another friend of hers; Adit bailed, but the rest of us drank an ill-advised bottle of champagne. and then I came home, wrote this, failed to post it, and fell asleep. Now you're all caught up - go out and seize the day, friends!]


Tonight turned into a port night, which is v. v. rare because, despite what you might have guessed, I actually value my liver. I know, I'm shocked too.

I'm not even sure that I can type for long enough to recount the day I had, but I'm going to try. I spent the morning alternating between writing and dealing with shipments for an event I'm going to at the end of the month, so that was all good (although my editor seems to indicate that I need to rewrite everything - I'll consider that problem tomorrow). Then I had lunch at Mission Beach Cafe with another writer - she was delightful, but I have to admit that the real highlight may have been their take on chilequiles, with tortilla strips, poached eggs, and pulled pork.

After that, I really wanted to write, but instead I dealt with sangria shenanigans with Ritu before Chadlord's dance recital. We had a great time, and I saw a whole bunch of people whom I hadn't seen in forever (particularly Tom and Julie, although there were some other ridiculous moments0. Chandlord's dance recital sold out, and so it raised a lot of money for a v. good cause, which is all great.

After, we adjourned to Noir Lounge, which we eventually closed down (apparently they don't like making money, nor do they like Adit - but that's probably fair, since the story he told a couple of years later was how my dad murdered turkeys on my swingset, which might be objectionable until you learn how dumb and aggressive and useless they are.

sssanyway. Then some of us went to Yamasho, where we did karaoke until 2am. And now I have to sleep or I shall persish - goodnight!

we'll be counting stars

Merry Christmas! Paradoxically, one of the shortest days of the year somehow always feels like one of the longest (I think I mean that in a good way?). Or perhaps that's because it's a random day where I have to get up super early in the middle of vacation, and after seven months of basically getting up whenever I feel like it.

However, it was all wonderful. I woke up shortly after seven, and we spent a glorious couple of hours opening packages. It's traditional in our family to take turns and open one gift at a time, which tends to lengthen the festivities. Also, we take things like stocking stuffers very seriously (or not at all seriously, depending on your viewpoint), which makes for some entertaining gifts (such as the coloring book of the Kings and Queens of England that my dad got me). I was quite happy with my gifts, which are geared toward an alcoholic octogenarian hermit (lovely Sorel slippers + a Vacuvin for increasing the longevity of open bottles of wine make for a happy hermit, along with a few cookbooks to make sure I feed myself well in my hermitage, as well as various and sundry other items). I also got some travel-related items, though (especially an anti-theft purse and a luggage scale), which makes me think I'm sending mixed signals about my desire to be a hermit vs. my desire to get the fuck out of my current life and explore the unknown.

That last sentence was probably the most true thing I've typed in awhile. sssanyway. I was also quite happy with the reaction to the gifts I gave others, and I think we all had a great Christmas morning. Then we all picked up everything (our other Christmas tradition is that paper can't lie on the floor for more than fifteen minutes after the last gift is opened), messed around with our gifts (we also had to clean up so Mom could test her new vacuum cleaner, which is the stereotypically worst gift to give someone, but she wanted it), and generally got ready for the second phase of the day.

This started with brunch - my mother made a delicious breakfast casserole, and my father had made ambrosia last night (grapefruit, oranges, and bananas), and I contributed a bottle of champagne and some orange juice to get the party going. We had barely cleaned up from all of that before my sister and her family arrived - I think we were Christmas #3 for them (#4 for Sammi and Jaicee, who visited Sammi's paternal grandmother before coming out). So we hung out, opened more presents, played with Jaicee (who in an energetic, moody, super cute six-year-old), and ate an early supper (or late dinner, or early dinner, depending on your terminology) - Mom made ham and baked beans and cheesy potatoes and other crowd favorites, and it was super yummy.

Then Sammi took Jaicee into town to give her to her dad, and then Sammi came back and we all (sans Shawn, who refrained) played Cards Against Humanity until we were all too tired to continue. The less said about that, the better. Then they all left, and [censored] and Mom and I hung out in the kitchen while Mom finished the cleanup (in retrospect I should have done more to help, but I was intent on helping finish more of the champagne). And now, I'm desperate for sleep, and I hope I sleep in tomorrow to make up for today's bout of extreme socializing - goodnight! And I hope you all had a very merry Christmas (or whatever else you pagans celebrate)!