and then they put you on the day shift

I had a lovely day, all in all. I spent the morning doing various desk tings (including a little bit of writing stuff), and then I spent the rest of the morning making lunch. I had intended to prep some of it last night, but I was feeling lazy then, so I had to cook this morning so that [censored] and I could eat. I made the fixings for cobb salads, which took a bit of prep, but it means that I now have four jarred cobb salads in the fridge waiting for future lunches. I feel like I'm almost past the season where I'll be in the mood for a cobb salad, but it tasted good today.

Then I cleaned up, did a bit of work, and went into town to get allergy shots. They reacted as usual, but not terribly, so I'll take it. After my shots, I grabbed a couple of groceries, came home, and wrote for a bit. But I mostly let myself get sidetracked by other things I needed to take care of, which was fine with me.

When it was time to think about dinner, I decided to experiment with a chorizo fried rice recipe. It came out of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's THE WOK cookbook, which I got last year for Christmas. He contributes to one of my favorite online recipe sites (Serious Eats), and I follow him on Instagram, so I knew it would be good. I usually don't modify a recipe on the first attempt, but I decided to add some shrimp, increase the amount of rice, and scale up the soy sauce / sesame oil accordingly.

After I'd diced the chorizo, shrimp, onion, green pepper, and scallions, and defrosted the frozen corn just a little bit, I turned on my induction burner as hot as it would go so that some I could heat my skillet (note: I bought a wok but I haven't fully seasoned it). It turns out the turbo burner on my induction stove is perhaps faster/hotter than gas, because my fried rice produced so much smoke that [censored] and I had to open a bunch of windows (and the front door, and briefly the garage door) and I was coughing as I finished cooking. But that level of heat produced some absolutely delicious fried rice. There were some lovely smoky bits, some perfectly crusty lattices of rice, and yet none of it was overcooked.

So this is a hard one, because from the taste alone + the ease of making it, I would absolutely add this to the rotation. But the smoke level was definitely carcinogenic (not to mention pervasive through the house). I think I'll try again at a slightly lower temperature point and see if 20% less flavor yields 80% less smoke.

Ssssanyway, after [censored] and I enjoyed our rice (and cleared out some of the smoke), we watched a bit of TV (including an interview the Please Don't Destroy guys from SNL did with Jimmy Fallon), and then we watched three episodes of OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH. It continues to be absolutely absurd, which means I love it.

And now, I need to sleep since I have a million tings going on tomorrow - goodnight!

want to fly to a place where it's just you and me

I wasn't as productive as yesterday, but that tends to happen since my productivity ebbs and flows. Still, today was pretty good overall - I got a lot of sleep, then did some market research this morning. I'm trying to figure out exactly what subgenre I think I'm writing, since that dictates some things that I may want to include or avoid. I haven't had to make this decision in quite this way before - when I decided to write historical romance, I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to write Regencies, and that was that. With this book, it could be high fantasy, or urban fantasy, or romantic fantasy, or paranormal romance, or maybe even YA, or fantasy/scifi, or something else. All of them have slightly different reader expectations, niches, etc., and the fact that I don't know what I'm writing is starting to cause me some angst.

So, I did some market research, then ate lunch with [censored], and then watched some writing videos to try to triangulate on what's blocking me. I also did a bit of mural stuff, ran to the grocery store, and wrote a bit in the late afternoon. I made spaghetti for me and [censored], using Grandma Barb's famous spaghetti sauce recipe - note that we don't have a Grandma Barb, but the random spaghetti sauce recipe I found online is a real winner.

Then, after eating, I wrote for an hour while sitting on my balcony. I also read for a bit - I started a nonfiction book about the history of fabric/textiles (called THE GOLDEN THREAD), since for some reason I think textiles might play a role in my book that I don't understand yet. And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

maybe then i'll fade away and not have to face the facts

I slept pretty late this morning because I was up until almost two last night, but #noregrets. I poured myself some cold brew and wrote for an hour as soon as I got up, which was good for everything except my carpal tunnel. Then, I made breakfast for me and [censored] - the usual scrambled eggs and hash browns, but they were particularly tasty today.

Then, I procrastinated pretty hard for a couple of hours. But I also cleaned the kitchen and washed my sheets, so it wasn't all wasted effort. I also answered some email - not all the email I should have answered, but enough to make me feel just slightly more caught up. Perhaps I'll continue that trend tomorrow!

After that, I made supper - the semi-usual-for-Sunday burrito bowls. I added some spicy Spanish chorizo that needed used, and I increased the rice/salsa/liquids a bit because I had more chicken than usual, and it all turned out perfectly. High on that success, I decided to end the evening on that note -- and so I came up to my room and finished the book I was reading last night (INFINITY GATE). It was book one of two in a series, and the next one won't be out for a year, which is a bummer. But it was really excellent - a lot of interesting inferences on AI and personhood, with some strong characters and great writing/dialogue. I ruminated a bit on the book today - my own book has some AI elements, but it's more fantasy, whereas this was definitely pure sci-fi (despite the talking rabbit). So I'm still playing around with how I want my book to read, and it would be nice to figure it out sooner rather than later, but we'll see.

And now, I'm going to push myself toward going to bed at a relatively reasonable hour so I can get some tings done tomorrow. Goodnight!

it's getting harder to breathe, so baby put me to sleep

I meant to be in bed two minutes from now, which will probably not happen - I am trying to ratchet my bedtime back to a more reasonable hour (like, eleven instead of two), but it's difficult because I always get a second wind around 10:15 and then I'm up all night. But beyond that foolhardy endeavor, tings are going well.

I got up this morning at a reasonable hour (nine! so civilized!) and made coffee, ate yogurt, etc. Then I wrote for awhile - nothing particularly amazing, but I did some research that gave me some good ideas. And then I spent several hours cleaning while listening to an audiobook by an archaeologist who is into magical belief systems. The audiobook was hard to stay focused on, although I gleaned a few things (and intend to keep going now that I'm past a lot of meandering intro). But the cleaning was more necessary, since my bedroom was messy and everything needed dusted / vacuumed, and my bedroom is approximately the size of Chandlord's studio (I'm not kidding), so I had a lot of surface area to clean.

However, I accomplished my cleaning in time to run out to my parents' house and visit them for awhile - they were in fine form, so we chatted for awhile before I came back to my house. Then, I talked to Caroline (my old coworker), who was also in fine form. And then I made a second attempt at pad thai - last weekend's pad thai tasted good but the noodles were terrible, so I wanted to try again. Tonight's was somehow off in a different way - the noodles were much better, but I think also much bulkier somehow despite being the same weight, and so the noodle to sauce ratio was off for my liking. Also, I made it with pork instead of chicken, since pork is what I had in the fridge - the pork was quite tasty, but again, I wish it had slightly more sauce. So, I'll have to try again, but at least the leftovers are edible compared to the last attempt.

After that, I cleaned the kitchen, finished tidying up my bedroom, and then did an hour and a half of book research. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

in the blinking of an eye, that moment's gone

I made a valiant attempt to write this morning - but after cutting some things and adding some other things, my grand total word count for the day was one (1). Still, it was better than nothing, and I'm eager to get back into it tomorrow - the first day after a break is always the hardest, and while I did write while I was in San Francisco, I didn't write last week after getting back, so today was a recovery day.

I also did some other computer-type stuff this morning, and then I ate lunch with [censored] - last night's pad thai was still gummy, but the chicken was great and the side of broccoli was excellent, so I powered through (and [censored] had leftover spaghetti sauce with fresh spaghetti, which was probably a better choice). Then I took a belated shower and ran to Centerville to pick up a bunch of stuff at Walmart - Walmart is not my store of choice, but it's the best option within 40min of my house, so sometimes it's what needs to happen. I stocked up on a bunch of canned goods, but the main draw was my favorite gluten free bread. I still need to do a Des Moines run at some point soon, but this will tide me over until I can get to someplace with produce.

Then, I came home, put tings away, and made burrito bowls for me and [censored]. Yes, this is the second time in five days, but they're easy and delicious, and I jazzed up this version with some Spanish chorizo, which definitely adds something. After eating, I took care of my garbage situation (it is easier to put garbage in my trunk and dump it at my dad's dumpster than it is to wheel my cart across my yard, so that's what I did). And then I watched the men's basketball final - it wasn't exactly exciting and I had literally zero opinions since I didn't watch a single game of the men's tournament this year, but it was something to do.

And now, I should sleep - goodnight!

the near-miss that almost shot you out the blue

I didn't blog yesterday, but you didn't miss much - I already can't remember what I did, beyond making breakfast, spending some time at my desk, and picking up Mexican takeout to eat with the parents and [censored]. Today was a little more action-packed - I woke up earlier than I usually do so that I could chat with someone about hosting a bridal shower. Then, I did some desk work and organizing of grocery lists, and eventually I made breakfast for me and [censored]. Since it's Sunday, I made scrambled eggs and hash browns - [censored] also got them yesterday in appreciation of the food drought that I caused here by my long absence, but usually I only make this once a weekend in deference to both caloric intake and effort expended.

After breakfast (which was really lunch), I did some more desk stuff, and then I watched the NCAA women's title game. The officiating was the story of the game and the technical on Caitlin Clark was beyond absurd, and I also I mostly dislike LSU's coach - but the LSU ladies played an amazing game and were fun to watch. So, after [censored] and I remembered that we usually hate the Hawkeyes, the loss became a lot easier to stomach.

Then, I hate-read twitter for a bit to dig into that technical foul, and then I went outside and cleaned out one of my flower beds that I should have cleaned out last fall but failed to do before the weather turned. And then I tried my hand at making a new-to-me pad thai recipe. All in all, I thought the flavor was great and the chicken turned out perfectly, but the noodles themselves were off because I followed the recipe directions instead of the package directions, which did not work well. I'll have to try again, but it was a valiant initial effort.

[censored] and I ate said pad thai while watching most of last night's SNL, which was perhaps the most consistently funny episode of the season. Then I cleaned up the kitchen, messed around online, and now I should sleep - goodnight!

i don't wanna rain on your crazy parade, buddy

Today is essentially my last day in the city of sin, and while my body will be happy to get back to avoiding gluten and getting eight hours of sleep, my heart is happy that I made the trip here.

I woke up this morning in Tracy, and Jen, Joann, Jane, and I finished our sleepover with breakfast, which was basically last night's leftover dinner. We had enough tater tot casserole left for all of us, and we put a fried egg on top of each serving, which made it a total winner. I'm tempted to experiment with making a breakfast tater tot casserole (with sausage and maybe some peppers instead of the carrots/onions), but we'll see what I discover. We also had leftover apricot salad, which is also a nice breakfast treat. So, all in all, my attempt to bring Midwestern culinary delights to California was a success.

Eventually, I left Tracy (while the rest of them stayed and continued hanging out) to drive to Alameda to see Claudia. Claude's mom was visiting, so we had a nice chat - I hadn't seen her since Claudia's wedding, but it was great to see that she's doing well. She brought tamales with her, which were delish. And I took some leftover jello to Claudia and her son Téo - Téo wasn't really interested in lunch since he'd already eaten, but he had a small scoop of jello and then demanded three more scoops of jello with a crazy gleam in his eyes.

So, we had to take him to the park to burn off a bunch of sugar. Claudia and I talked while watching him play in a sand pit, and it was actually pretty delightful - the weather was nice, Claudia and I were overdue for a chat, and Téo (who turns three soon) is perhaps the cutest child in the history of children (no offense to my other friends' children). It was a really nice afternoon, so hopefully we'll get a chance to do it again sometime soon.

Then, I parted ways with them and drove to Berkeley to see John and Jess. I did not see their kid, so I have no report about Ian since they dropped him at his grandparents' place. But I'm happy to report that John and Jess are doing well. We went to Saul's Deli, which is where we always go for breakfast, and I was surprised to see that it's open for dinner and also serves surprisingly fancy (and inappropriately named) cocktails. So we had latkes, and I had a sandwich with roast beef / harissa / horseradish / swiss that was excellent, and John and I each had a cocktail and split another while Jess enjoyed her fancy healthier beverage choice.

And then, I parted ways with them, drove back to the city of sin, and met up with Chandlord. We were supposed to grab a drink, but instead we stayed in - and I somehow, some way, tricked her into watching SAHARA (and paying to rent it). This is basically the opposite of doing something nice for someone who hosted you. I, of course, still love it, but Chandlord seemed rather displeased with a variety of plot holes that I thought she made much too big a deal of. C'est la vie, I guess.

And now, I need to sleep so that I can pack up tomorrow - I'm moving to an airport hotel tomorrow night and doing some exploration of the south bay before that, so I want to get out of the city in good time. Goodnight!

the only thing that waits is overconfidence

I overslept today, but I'm okay with that - according to my fitbit, I've been getting the most sleep that I've gotten in years, which I assume is good for me? And since I'm about to head off for a couple of weeks of fun in the fog (thanks for being a cold vacation destination, Pacific Northwest/Bay Area), sleep is probably a good thing to bank right now.

Anyway, I overslept, but then I rallied, made some coffee, and made brunch for me and [censored]. We ate it while watching SNL as per usual, and as per usual it was pretty iffy - the guest host was one of the Kansas City Chiefs players, and he is most certainly not an actor, but a couple of the skits were funny enough.

Then I spent the afternoon procrastinating a bit, but I did manage to write about seven pages of my weird novel, so I'm happy with that. Then, I ate some leftover chocolate cake before making dinner - I don't do well with dessert at night, but I feel just fine eating cake before dinner, I guess. I made the usual chicken burrito bowl, but I added andouille sausage just to spice it up, and it was pretty tasty.

Then, I messed around on my phone, cleaned the kitchen, came upstairs, painted my toenails (which were looking pretty dire thanks to the lack of vanity-catering services around here), messed around with my manuscript for a bit, sent some emails, and started my packing list for my trip. And now, I need to sleep so that I can get a bunch of stuff done tomorrow - goodnight!

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

I had a lovely day, although it started late because I went to bed sometime after two and so got up at 10;30. I have no regrets about that, but I am trying to go to bed earlier tonight (it's only 11:48pm!). But I got up, made some tea, got ready, and got some good writing done, so I'm happy about that.

I had some leftover spaghetti for lunch, ran to the grocery store to get some broccoli, messed around a bit, and then spent most of the afternoon finalizing my tax information to send to my CPA. I did take a long break to talk to Katie, which was great (and v. overdue). And then I made dinner, which turned out perfectly - salmon teriyaki, rice, and roasted broccoli, which is v. easy and also v. delicious. While I cooked, I listened to a couple of good entreprenuer-type podcasts, which gave me the push I needed to wrap up the tax stuff and upload it. And then I celebrated by reading - I started a book called THE FINAL STRIFE, which I picked up on a whim at the bookstore in Indianola last month. So far so good, but we'll see how it goes as I get deeper into it.

And now, I need to go to bed, or at least not look at my laptop - goodnight!

we barely notice as the pages disappear, floating off into another year

I had a nice Sunday, although it would have been nicer if it were eighty degrees and sunny. I got up at a reasonably respectable hour and made breakfast for me and [censored] -- it was the usual Sunday affair with scrambled eggs (filled with bacon, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms) and hash browns, and it was v. tasty (if I do say so myself). We ate while watching most of the skits from last night's SNL -- they're definitely still rebuilding and I hope Keenan is in all the skits because he wants to be and not because no one else is capable (although I could see that being true). But there were some good moments, and Weekend Update was funny, so that was a worthwhile watch.

I then spent the afternoon doing some desultory office work, journaling, and riding my Peloton, which is finally fully set up and ready for use (after an absurd number of months of paying my subscription). It was really nice to ride again (after the first five minutes, when I thought it was the stupidest idea I'd had all day), so I'd like to make it into more of a regular part of my routine.

Eventually, I showered and then made supper. I made the usual instant pot burrito bowl at [censored]'s request, but I tested a tweaked version and added some diced Spanish chorizo to the mix. I was a little leery because tweaking pressure cooked recipes is a science that I don't yet understand, so I was worried I would burn it or make the bowl too wet/dry or perhaps cook the chorizo into oblivion. But it turned out really well and was a nice addition, so I'll probably add it on the occasions when I feel like driving to Des Moines to source Spanish chorizo (which isn't even at Whole Foods, I don't think - but I found the brand I used to buy in Denver at Cost Plus World Market, so hopefully that continues to be true).

After it was ready, we ate and watched an episode of Letterkenny. Then, I cleaned the kitchen, procrastinated a bit, and came upstairs to plan out the week ahead. I have a lot of stuff I have been putting off that I want to get done this week, and I want to get deeper into the book, so hopefully I've outlined a plan to make all of that happen. And now, it's time for bed (or maybe reading before bed) - goodnight!

and now i pull up in my green honda

I had a lovely and relatively productive day today, although I probably should have gone to bed two hours ago. I spent some time this morning taking care of email and getting ready, and then I had a meeting regarding my volunteer project. One of the women there told me that she'd told her husband, after seeing how I was organizing something, that I'm like my grandma on steroids, which she assured me was a compliment. I'm pretty sure she meant my organizational skills (mine are related to spreadsheets; Gram's were related to feeding dozens or hundreds of people), but she may have also meant that I'm a couple of inches taller than Gram. However, my height advantage is not due to any sort of illegal drugs, and is more due to Gram shrinking before her death.

sssanyway, I was flattered, so I'll take it. After the meeting, I came home, ate some leftover fish chowder, did some more work, and ran a few errands. I also made dinner, which took waaaaaay longer than intended - I was trying a new recipe, and while the food tasted amazing in the end, it took more like forty minutes to cook instead of twenty (and this was at the final cooking stage, not including the twenty minutes of prep before that). I'm looking forward to the leftovers and I would probably make it again, but I need to tweak it to figure out if there's any way to speed up the process.

While the dish was simmering, I wrote for 40-some minutes, which I'll take. And I ended the night with some Zelda - I may be overdosed, which is what I need to get out of playing for awhile, so hopefully tomorrow I won't feel the urge. But it was fun to play tonight, so #noregrets.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

i'm just mad about saffron

I apparently forgot to blog yesterday, but the only thing that you missed was that I made a fish chowder which was not [censored]'s favorite...but I'd been craving it and I was v. happy to eat it, so hopefully [censored] will live. It was very bad repayment for the fact that [censored] put up my remaining office and bedroom blinds, but we're still speaking, so I think it's okay.

Today was pretty productive, all in all - I actually got dressed in real clothes and put on makeup when I woke up just to get myself into the work frame of mind, since all I wear anymore is variations on a pajama theme. The clothing seemed to help, or at least I was in the right mood - after I put my desk back together (since I'd had to tear apart my office to give [censored] access to the windows), I wrote approximately ten pages before / after lunch. This was more than I've written in a day in a v. v. long time, and [censored] is about to discover how weird I get when wandering around the house after a lot of writing in a day, which is something only Terry and Adit have deep experience with. I'm happy with how the story is going, although I suspect I'm currently wandering in a cul-de-sac that won't stay in the final draft, but we'll see.

At some point, I took a break for lunch (and made a v. tasty grilled ham and cheese sandwich). And I did some house stuff after I was done writing - mostly cleaning my pendants in my kitchen and testing some new bulbs, and also saying farewell to [censored]. At some point, I took trash to my dad's dumpster, and I ate some leftover chowder. I also did some stuff for the volunteer activity I'm getting involved in, since we have a meeting tomorrow. And I played some more Zelda, without perhaps making much progress, but it's hard to tell with that game. And now, I must sleep - goodnight!

slightly bored and severely confused

Today was better than yesterday, but it was probably the rush of adrenaline that comes with knowing that we're about to get inundated with snow and wind. I also had a 9:30am in-person meeting, which is incredibly rare in my new world (and in my old world, where no one went to the office even after we were all supposed to go to the office). I went into town to talk to someone about the volunteer thing I'm getting involved in, and I think I'm now even more involved, which is pretty par for the course when it comes to me getting involved in things.

Then I ran to the grocery store to opportunistically stock up on things, came home, and realized I should have bought eggs, since they were the only thing I actually needed. I made lunch first (mason jar cobb salads, + one for me to eat today), and then ran back to the grocery store for eggs. Then I had a call, changed into my painting clothes, and did some bathroom painting. I only got two walls done, but it's going well, so hopefully I can wrap it up tomorrow.

When I lost interest in painting, I wrote for awhile and knocked out five pages. I also ate a v. late dinner right as [censored] got home - he beat the storm, but the winds are turning. We watched the ISU game and chatted for a bit, and now I am going to go to bed so that I can paint and write and cook again tomorrow. Goodnight!

would you miss me in the end if i run out of oxygen

I had an excellent first official post construction day, which felt amazing. It started off amazingly mostly because I was able to laze in bed until almost nine - I was awake by eight, but I had no desire to get out of bed, and I had no reason to because Randy wasn't here to start work and [censored] wasn't here to judge me.

Eventually, though, I did get out of bed - I made myself some coffee, foam rolled to get the kinks out of my shoulders, and then wrote for a solid hour. I got almost four pages, which was great - and they were four good pages, in that they revealed some story that I wasn't expecting.

If that was all I did today, I would have been delighted. However, I did have to stop writing so that I could take a shower, eat some lunch (a v. uninteresting but nostalgic Amy's enchilada, which was the frozen meal of choice when I lived with Adit a lifetime ago), and then run into town for a meeting related to a volunteer group I'm participating in. That meeting ended in thirty minutes, which was good news for me.

So, I washed my car (it was above freezing today! yay!) and then, on a whim, drove to Indianola to look at paint chips. I know, I literally just finished construction. But [censored] and I are going to repaint the bathroom, and I still need to paint the dining room, and I think I want to use Benjamin Moore instead of the paint I get locally (don't tell the local guys). So I got paint chips, and then I checked out a bookstore that I hadn't been to before - it was small, but I was pretty impressed with their fantasy/scifi section, so I picked up a couple of books on a whim.

Then I got gas for my Audi, which takes fancy fuel that I can't get near my house, and picked up groceries before driving home. When I got here, I messed around a bit before making dinner - a spicy miso carbonara pasta that I absolutely adored. I can't make it when [censored] is here because [censored], like the FDA, doesn't like undercooked eggs (and I'm guessing [censored]'s jury is also out on the amount of chili paste I put in it). But I loved it and have leftovers for the next couple of days, so that's a win.

After eating, I procrastinated a bit with Twitter, reread what I wrote today, and then finished a book I started reading last week - SATURNALIA, about an occult/alchemical secret society in Philadelphia in a near future when the climate is wrecked. It was pretty good, and I liked the writing, but I didn't love the ending (but that could just be me). Still, it was a much better use of my time than reading twitter, so I'm glad I finished it.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

my heart's been pouring through my chest

I really wanted to be as lazy as possible today, but the house project stops for no one, and I'm also hosting people for Christmas later this week, so I had to get cracking. I did sleep in a little bit, but then I forced myself to get up, shower, and make eggs and hash browns for me and [censored]. Breakfast was v. tasty and I enjoyed it up until the point where I spilled coffee in my lap - not a lot, and luckily it had cooled down a bit, but I think I gave myself just a bit of a burn to remember the moment by for the next few days.

After that, I definitely wanted to be lazy, but I forced myself to clean the living room. This doesn't sound like an onerous task, but construction has produced so much dust that I needed to clean everything. And that meant tediously vacuuming all sides of all cushions on the sectional, since it was clear that the couch was just as dusty as all the other surfaces. After a few hours of cleaning, the living room was mostly restored to cleanliness - it still has some issues because it's housing items that belong in other rooms, but for now it's much better.

I also did a variety of other tings, like three loads of laundry, and also cleaning out the bathroom closet so that we can install new flooring this week. And eventually, I made burrito bowls (dinner of champions) for me and [censored], as a continued effort to (under)pay [censored] for leadership contributions to the house's plumbing situation.

And now, I need to gather my thoughts in anticipation for the week - I want to write as many days as it's possible to write, and that means starting tomorrow. Goodnight!

i get lost on my way searching for liars

Today was much less social than yesterday, which helped me to get some tings done. Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep in like I wanted to because Randy always shows up just before eight and I usually try to make it downstairs around his arrival - but I was not feeling particularly chipper to be awake this morning.

The day didn't entirely improve because it was vaguely snowy and very grey all day, which does not help my mood. However, I managed to work despite that - I spent a lot of time doing some office-related tasks, which felt good to get organized. I also had a burrito bowl for lunch, which was delish. And, I had a coaching call for the writing strengths class that I'm taking - the call is a 1:1 included in the course registration, and it was super helpful to talk through my own unique blend of strengths with someone (especially someone who matches approximately five of my top ten strengths).

So, the coaching was v. interesting - I walked away with some practical tips for my writing, plus some new ways about thinking about some of my problems. I'm eager to see what's in the remaining lectures, but at this point I'm ready to start setting some writing goals for this year with a bit more intention than I've had in the past couple of years.

After that, I messed around with house stuff and then continued organizing my office. Eventually, I made a v. delicious ribeye using the reverse sear method (roast it low until ~95 degrees, then sear it and then let it rest), and I also made some broccoli and heated up a frozen-for-a-gloomy-day twice baked potato. The ribeye hit the spot, so #noregrets on that even though my house now smells like the charcoal part of a barbecue.

I think wrote just a teensy bit, and then [censored] showed up and we talked for awhile. And now, I need to go to bed - it's not at all late enough for me to *want* to go to bed, but I'm so tired from not getting to sleep in that I think I need to make the shift. Goodnight!

and you'll begin to wonder why you came

I had a lovely day, despite the fact that it continues to be mercilessly grey and dreary. I made a lightning-quick trip to Des Moines out of sheer necessity - my tires were basically bald, so I had an appointment to get them changed, and then I picked up a bunch of alternative tile options for the bathroom, grabbed a salad to go, got a handful of groceries, and came back home. The tires are something I could have theoretically done closer to home, but the Audi is an unfamiliar vehicle in the land of tricked-out pickups, so I thought the city would be a better place for such service.

The tile, of course, could not be done closer to home - I had picked up trim pieces for the shower, but we decided they weren't quite the right depth, so I got some more tile (and some more shower shelves) and returned a previous set of shower shelves. And the groceries perhaps could have been done closer to home, but I'm excited to have nice-looking blueberries for my oatmeal this week.

sssanyway, I was home by 3:45, which was good. On the way, I listened to part of Prince Harry's memoir - it's amazing how that family has so much innate privilege, and also so much built-in hierarchy on which to treat each other badly. Also, his recollections of his mom's death are unbearably sad. There's a lot of memoir to get through, which will take awhile since I usually only listen to audiobooks in the car - but I would say, without going into any of the rest of it, that his hatred of the British press is entirely justified.

When I got home, I procrastinated for awhile, said farewell to [censored], and made myself some v. delicious salmon teriyaki with roasted broccoli and rice. Then, I talked to Veronica for awhile, which was what I needed. I also checked in on the Iowa State score, which was great (we beat Texas!). And then I finished reading A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE - it's a bizarre space opera that I think I enjoyed? Actually, I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it. And now i want to read the sequel, but I also have a million other books on my list, so we'll see.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

i ain't no fortunate son

Welcome to 2023! I rang in the new year mostly like any other weekend day (which means I made scrambled eggs and hash browns for me and [censored]). However, I did write for an hour this morning, which felt great after some extended time off during the holidays. I also took a walk around town this afternoon since it was a balmy forty degrees. And I read a book tonight...so in terms of filling the first day of the new year with things I want to do the rest of the year, I think I got off to a good start.

Beyond all that, I mostly did house stuff. I also made a new-to-me recipe for dinner with great success. Ina Garten's cookbooks never fail me - I got the new one for Christmas, and I made her salmon teriyaki tonight, and it was excellent. It's a super simple sauce (soy sauce, olive oil, maple syrup, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, red pepper flakes), boiled/reduced just a bit, and then poured over salmon to bake for <15min. I also roasted broccoli to go with it, which turned out perfectly. And, I experimented with my new rice cooker, which is a gift to myself - I had never thought I needed one before, but I used to live places where I could get Asian food whenever I felt like it, and I find myself wanting perfect rice more than ever. So far, I'd say it was a worthwhile investment - the rice really was perfect, and made it easy to time with the other meal components.

So, supper was excellent - even [censored] thought so, and turning [censored] into a roasted broccoli convert is a crowning achievement. After that, I cleaned up the kitchen, and then read a research book about elves and witches (so far, I don't know where the elves come in, but we'll see). And now I must sleep - goodnight!

i can only stand apart and sympathize

I should have gone to bed an hour ago, but I am doing some bedtime procrastination since the rest of my day didn't go completely according to plan. I had intended to write this morning, but Randy is moving faster than we thought he would with the kitchen, which means I had to make some decisions and order some tings for the bathroom. This maybe wouldn't have been so time-sensitive, but shipping around the holidays is turning into a problem, and Randy apparently doesn't intend to take off any time around Christmas except, perhaps, the 26th. So, we have to be ready for him to keep going - which is great for my medium/long-term happiness, and stressful for my short-term desire to get things done.

Beyond that, though, he hung my pendant lights, which are either too large (according to Randy/[censored]'s dubious looks) or just right (according to me and Pinterest). And he finished installing all the can lights, which are thankfully not too much, and also placed several cabinets + insured I had outlets where I needed them. The kitchen is starting to come together, and I'm delighted by it - there are still elements that could make or break things (like the uppers, or the countertop, or the flooring), but things are really looking good right now.

The rest of my day was uneventful - I got some groceries, ate leftover burrito bowls with [censored], talked to Alyssa, and spent some afternoon time theoretically trying to write. I also tried a new orange chicken recipe in the instant pot - I probably wouldn't make it again without major modifications, but it wasn't bad. However, it was outshone by the frozen egg rolls that I crisped up in my air fryer - I only had one (and should have had zero bc gluten), but they were delish. And it's a good reminder to add the air fryer to my construction-kitchen repertoire.

After supper, I had a long-overdue call with Terry and Lauren (aka Subz) - I've mostly ignored all my friends for the past few months as I've moved / settled / tried to figure out what I want my life to look like, so our chat was very nice and I'm glad we got a chance to catch up.

And finally, [censored] and I watched David Letterman's interview of Volodymyr Zelenskyy - Letterman flew to Kiev a few weeks ago and interviewed Zelenskyy in a Metro station 250ft below ground, and also filmed some footage around the city. It was pretty moving, in no small part because I recognized some of the places they were, and still feel a deep connection to Ukraine even though my memories are filtered through almost thirty years of another life lived separate from that strange and surreal year that I spent there. I do not think Ukraine would have made it if Zelenskyy hadn't stood up the way that he did in those first few days / weeks - the Russians expected him to flee with a planeload of cash the way most other leaders would, and instead he rallied the nation in a wholly unique and unexpected way. So, the interview was worth watching, even if it made me sad for what's happening now and how hard the winter will be.

And now, I really must sleep - goodnight!

let's all move to madrid

I did more today than I intended, which is perhaps a good thing. I got up in time to make tea and take care of some stuff before Randy came to start working on my kitchen. I also got a delivery from my beloved Room and Board - I got some new bookshelves for my office + shelves to fit in the weird alcoves in my bedroom, and they look great (although they're still empty because I didn't have time to fill them up today).

I had a long chat with Katie to discuss funeral plans for Lorena (tl;dr I might not go because I've been exposed to covid, which meant Katie didn't want to stay with me if she came back)...and of course, we discussed a lot of other ridiculous tings as well. After that, [censored] and I had lunch (leftovers), and I ran a couple of errands to stock up on supplies. And I talked to Alyssa, who was in fine form.

After that, I messed around for a bit, and then I made two full entrees - a beef stew and the usual chicken burrito bowls. I perhaps spent more energy than I should have cooking, but it means that [censored] and I have food for a couple of days, and that seemed like a worthy endeavor. Both turned out quite well, if I do say so myself, even if they took more time than usual to make and clean up from due to the lack of a kitchen. [censored] and I also watched a video of the time our great-uncle Fred was on a game show back in the sixties, which [censored] didn't remember hearing about but which we were able to find thanks to the miracles of YouTube.

And now, I really need to get some sleep - goodnight!