buy for me the rain, my darling

I had an okay day - I'm still testing negative for covid, but I'm not convinced that I'm out of the woods. I think that means I should drink an emergen-c and go to bed at ten, when what I want to do is drink half a bottle of zinfandel and watch the Harry and Meghan documentary. Being an adult is hard.

I didn't get much done today due to being distracted by my remodel, but the remodel is moving forward apace - Randy moved some more plumbing this morning, and then set a few cabinets this afternoon, and also put in some of the can lights. I'm pretty excited about how I think this is all going to look, and I'm also anxious to see it all come together and hoping that I didn't make any design mistakes. We shall see, we shall see.

Today was also Lorena's visitation, which I would have definitely gone to under normal circumstances (even though I'm sure it was v. packed + the superspreader event of the season). Since I am still negative for covid but also not convinced I'm not a carrier, I didn't really feel like I should go stand in line and potentially expose others while also potentially bringing flu or RSV back to [censored]. However, this being a small town and all, I decided to just call the funeral home and see if they were letting anyone in early to see Lorena. They told me I could come a little after 1pm, so I went - and I'm glad I got to see her, even if she didn't look right because I have never, ever seen her when she wasn't either laughing or completely engaged with whoever she was with. Losing her is really sad for the town, and for her family and friends, and for me. Unfortunately, [censored] wasn't able to go due to his continued 'rona, but the funeral is livestreamed, so at least there's that.

Tonight, I felt like doing nothing, so [censored] and I watched 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' and ate leftover burrito bowls. And now, I am going to go to bed and hope I continue feeling okay tomorrow - goodnight!

you can't be bothered with those just for the night boys

So, [censored] has granted permission to disclose that [censored] is the one who exposed me to covid, by having covid and sharing a house with me. This has made for a strange couple of days - [censored] came home Tuesday feeling unwell, and eventually took a covid test, which was positive. The layout of my house + the ongoing construction makes actual quarantining from each other pretty much impossible, so I'm hoping my existing immunity carries me through. So far, I've tested negative every day, but it's unclear whether that will last.

Of course, I texted our contractor (Randy) to let him know about [censored]'s illness, but he decided to keep working anyway. But, since it's a small town and Randy isn't under any HIPAA restrictions (or any contract at all, actually), the guys at the lumber yard already knew [censored] was sick when I went in there yesterday. So, this may mean I won't get to go to Lorena's funeral...but it looks like it will be livestreamed, so at least there's that.

sssanyway, I spent the day being distracted by remodel stuff, which seems to be how I'm spending most of my days. Randy's making quick progress, though - he painted today, and then his cousin came to help bring in all the lower cabinets so that he can start setting them. Unfortunately, this meant the plumbing around the sink has to get rearranged, which [censored] had committed to doing - and so [censored] rallied from his deathbed to do it, which I felt quite bad about. Luckily, it got done, but hopefully [censored] is able to rest the rest of the week.

After that, [censored] and I ate leftovers from last night's cooking, and then I came upstairs and finished the book I started the other night (SWEEP IN PEACE, which is the third book in this cute/fun Innkeeper series that I am enjoying). And now, I'm going to take the unusual step of going to bed at 10:30 in an attempt to continue staving off the 'rona - goodnight!

leaving on a jet plane

In twenty-four hours I'll likely be somewhere over Canada or the North Atlantic en route to the Amalfi Coast and a glorious week with Katie. We have had many adventures together and we are accustomed to lazing by bodies of water, although I'm guessing that Positano and Capri may be slightly more luxurious than floating in a rowboat at the lake at Bob White. And, since we are not underage and also have better jobs than we had in high school, the drinks will probably involve real wine instead of wine coolers. But beyond that, I expect it to be pretty much exactly the same as our usual summer shenanigans.

I spent today mostly prepping for the trip, although I did get up early and grab some coffee and write for forty-five minutes or so. Eventually, I went to the mall to return some things and buy some other things, and I was pretty much the only person wearing a mask because I don't want to get covid right before my trip. I also ran a few other errands, and then I stopped by Katie's to scan her vaccine card for check-in and we ended up talking for an hour and a half. Tomorrow's seatmate should be glad that we got some initial conversation out of the way, although we have barely seen each other in the last few months and so have many and varied possible topics to cover this week.

Then I came home, ate leftover takeout, and did a bunch of organizing / packing. I haven't actually packed, but I got out the clothes I plan to take, and I organized / winnowed my cosmetics and first aid stuff and all the other things that I vaguely remember taking with me on international trips. I'm so out of practice that I'm concerned I'm going to screw up crucial things - but I found my travel adapters, and I found melatonin and earplugs and an eye mask, and as long as I have my contacts / glasses / passport / credit card, I guess everything else can be solved on arrival.

And now, I really need some sleep so that I can make the last push tomorrow before we head to the airport - goodnight!

back to the lab again, yo, this whole rhapsody

I had two big presentations today, which is unusual because I haven't had big presentations in awhile due to various work changes and challenges. I must have been out of practice, and I must have been amping myself up for my new VP (whom I know, so it's not that bad), and maybe my post-covid heart is still just a little more likely to beat faster, because my Fitbit thought I got 96 minutes of exercise today 😂. I did not, as it turns out, get 96 minutes of exercise. But my presentations went well, and I'm happy that they're over.

In between presentations, I had lunch with [censored] since he worked from here today before heading back to his real home for the week. And at the end of the day, I changed into non-work-clothes and met with Alyssa. It was weird to wear 'real' work clothes, since I wore jeans and a nice shirt and a sweater/blazer that I used to wear regularly at work and haven't worn in two years - overall it felt good, but it also felt good to switch into leggings and a hoodie.

After I talked to Alyssa, I wrapped some things up, took my trash out, and ate dinner. I'd had the foresight to bake a potato while talking to Alyssa, so my supper was a baked potato with pulled pork and nacho cheese - not my usual dinner, but it was completely delicious. I may need to buy and roast another pork butt just to freeze single portions for future use - I froze a bit tonight, but it's tasty enough that I could see it going with a variety of meals.

Then, I spent the evening mostly vegging out and watching the Olympics, since I don't have the brain power for anything else. And I think I shall go to bed soon - goodnight!

death spiral

I had a pretty great day, although I was quite tired at the beginning - for some reason I didn't sleep all that well last night, and it had me dragging. But I got some good work done, and I had a final poke bowl for lunch before my next sojourn in ye olde Iowa.

Eventually, I was done, so I did a bit of housework and prepping to load my car, and then I welcomed Katie for a late afternoon happy hour. We lounged and had aperol spritzes and cheese and jam, and it was pretty great.

And then, the evening stayed great but took a different turn - I'd invited her whole family over to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and so while Katie came early so we could catch up a bit, James and the girls showed up in time for dinner. We ordered pizza and I gave them "baby champagne" (aka sparkling apple grape juice, which hypes them up like nothing else), and then we watched the opening. Overall, it was pretty gorgeous and well done considering the covid restrictions, although it's weird to see a basically empty stadium. And of course it's a prime opportunity for propaganda, which is always interesting to watch.

James and Julia left early, but Katie and Anne stayed until the end. It was v. different than old Olympics parties from days of yore, and I didn't bake any cakes at all, but at least it felt festive and entertaining. And Katie, as always, is great.

Eventually they left, and I did some more house prep while watching some taped skating stuff until I suddenly was too tired to continue. And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

muscle to muscle and toe to toe

I had a pretty good day today - it was the first day where I didn't feel like I had to take a nap, although I do feel like I need to go to bed early. I wrote for a bit before work, which was great, and I survived all of my meetings unscathed. And when I was done with meetings, I probably should have done house stuff or packing stuff to prep for going back to ye olde Iowa this weekend...but instead I made spaghetti all'amatriciana (one of my favorite fast-ish weeknight suppers - cook bacon, red onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes, add some tomato sauce, and toss with spaghetti). It was delicious, and also made me want to go to Italy.

Instead of going to Italy, I spent the rest of the evening torturing myself by reading the first couple of chapters of DIRT - it's a memoir by a guy who moved his family to Lyon so he could learn French cooking. So far so good - his style is easy (he's a writer/journalist by trade, not a chef, so of course the writing is easy) and I'm completely ravenously desperate to go to Europe. I also tortured myself by texting with my family time group; Jess had sent an article yesterday about how all the pandemic group chats are dead, which is quite unfortunately not true of ours, since it mostly consists of unwelcome reminiscences (Adit reminded me tonight that I was in his bottom 8 - aka the least cool people in our dorm), insults (see the aforementioned), and too much discussion of Ritu Rani's nephew the tiktok influencer. But at least I'll be in SF in a month, which is not Europe but is also better than nothing.

And now I need to sleep so that I can power through some work tomorrow and then also power through some house stuff and then also watch some Olympics (YAY) - goodnight!

guess i gotta go and get famous for doing nothing

First day back at work and I didn't exactly have a case of the Mondays, but I'm definitely suffering from some post-covid exhaustion. Today wasn't all that bad, though - I got some work done, and I enjoyed my coffee, and I had leftover fish chowder for lunch. I met with Alyssa at the end of the day, and she determined that my breath is still way too shallow - I'm not noticing it, but I can't fill my lungs as deeply as I should be able to. So, I'm going to ease into some stretches and breathing exercises this week, and we'll see how that progresses.

After I talked to Alyssa, I was really tired and should have taken a nap, but instead I ran (well, drove) down the street to my favorite cheese shop to get some supplies, since it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Then I came home, ordered Thai takeout, waited for it, and was v. disappointed when the order got canceled right as I was expecting it to arrive. So I ordered different Thai takeout via a different app, and when it finally arrived it was quite tasty.

I had intended to write or do something else moderately productive tonight, but I'm too wiped out - so I put on my pajamas and finished reading CIRCE by Madeline Miller. It was a total delight - I'm a sucker for Greek mythology anyway, and this retelling was excellent (and very much about humanity, even if the main character was a goddess).

And now that I'm done with that, I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

i pretend i scraped them climbing in the trees

I think today was the first day since getting sick that I didn't take a nap. That's not to say that I didn't need one, but I didn't need one as badly as I've needed them on previous days. I also left the house for the second day in a row, which was exciting - but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I spent the morning drinking coffee and lounging in my living room. I also, v. surprisingly, fixed my gas fireplace without electrocuting myself or blowing up my house, so that was really exciting. The fireplace hadn't ignited since last winter, even though the pilot light was clearly going steadily the whole time, but I hadn't had time / inclination to find someone to check it. However, I did some research and discovered that the likeliest culprit was that the connectors in the wall switch were dirty or corroded - the fireplace switch takes such little electricity that any dirt or corrosion can potentially stop it from completing the circuit. So, I pulled the switch out of the wall, cleaned the connectors, replaced the switch - and happily, it worked perfectly. So now I have a fireplace to lounge next to, and that makes everything better.

Eventually, I scrambled to shower / eat so that I could run some errands. I took some stuff back to Nordstrom, but I didn't shop at all, so I was in and out of the mall in record time. Then I went to Room and Board and browsed the whole store - I'm daydreaming about couches, and while nearly any couch would be better than the one Marvin left for me in my house in Iowa, I would like to do better than that very low bar. So I sat on every couch in the store and got a lovely associate to give me some fabric swatches. No decisions yet, and of course everything is backordered, but hopefully I'll get a couch sometime this year.

Then, I drove so far into Aurora that it felt like I was basically in Kansas, found a house in a random residential neighborhood, and bought a lehenga for Terry's wedding. I'd found an Indian dress shop on Google and made an appointment for today - the seller runs it out of her basement, but she has some really lovely stuff. I bought the first thing I tried on because it was perfect (and extremely sparkly - I think the skirt has every sparkle that I didn't get to wear during the pandemic), and she's going to tailor it and get it back to me next weekend.

So, that errand was accomplished quickly, and I was delighted. Then I drove home, with a stop at BookBar to pick up an order that had been waiting for me since the covid beforetimes. And then I spent the rest of the evening talking to my parents, messing around, eating fish chowder, talking to [censored], etc. And now, I want to actually try going to bed at a better hour than the after-midnight times I usually go to bed. Goodnight!

i was taken by the sound of a spirit in need

Today felt very much back to normal - I'm still not physically 100% there, but mentally / emotionally I'm ready to be better. I spent the morning hanging out with my coffee and messing around online, mostly trying to figure out some decor-type stuff for my Iowa house. I also made bacon and eggs, and I did a load of laundry, and I took a nap...so so far, that's mostly a standard quarantine Saturday.

However, I broke out of quarantine in mid-afternoon to meet up with Katie and El Camino for a very extended happy hour. It was a really nice day in Denver, so we were able to hang out on the back patio (with heaters) and have margaritas and two orders of nachos and plenty of time to catch up and discuss life. We were there for almost 3.5hrs, and we still had plenty to discuss, but eventually we decided it would be wise to part ways. It was an excellent first outing for my post-covid life, since I love Katie and I love nachos, so hopefully we'll be able to repeat it again soon.

Then I came home (well, Katie dropped me off), messed around, changed into pajamas, and had a friendship renewal call with Joann, Jen, and Jane. And as soon as that was over, I messed around on my laptop a bit more and dozed off like the recovering invalid that I am. So I think I should probably go to bed - goodnight!

you can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart

Today was another step closer to normal - I'm just the slightest bit congested, and I'm still more tired after doing things than I think I should be, but I'm on the mend. It helped that I was done with meetings by 12:30 today - I still had work to do, but I also ate lunch and took a nap, and that helped. And I was even able to shovel a path from my back door to my garage this morning so that it would melt off and not turn into a massive ice problem, so that was more effort than I've expended on anything other than showering in the last two weeks.

I cut off a little earlier than usual and got a mani/pedi - my nails were dire, and I was deeply in need of getting out of my house. I also got a few groceries, since my fridge is completely empty and I've been living on takeout. Then I came home and talked to Katie for a bit to muster a plan for the weekend. I then, v. ill-advisedly, spent two hours making fish chowder - I hadn't cooked anything more elaborate than heating up some frozen enchiladas or making toast or fried eggs in the last two weeks, but the moment I felt like cooking, I wanted to *cook*. It ended up tasting fantastic and was exactly what I wanted, but it took more chopping / stirring / standing energy than I probably should have put into it. And you know I'm still not quite in it to win it, since I used my coravin to extract half a cup of white wine from a sealed bottle to put in the chowder, rather than opening the bottle and drinking a glass of it to go along with the cooking.

But I was delighted by the chowder and happy to be cooking again, so #noregrets. Then I spent the evening reading CIRCE by Madeline Miller - it's been on all sorts of bestseller / recommended lists for years and sitting on my Kobo for awhile, but I picked it up tonight on a whim. I'm probably two-thirds of the way through and so far I'm really enjoying it - I probably could have kept going until I finished it, but I know that staying up until three is not what I should actually do tonight.

So, on that note, I'm going to go to bed and hope I can use this weekend to sleep off the rest of my ailments. Goodnight!

lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander

I'm feeling better, but I may have slightly overdone it today. I actually sat at my work setup (my dining room, not my writing desk) for the first time since I got sick, and I put on eyeshadow and a slightly dressier outfit in deference to the meetings I had today. However, I took too many meetings (in which several people helpfully mentioned that I still sound congested), and I was completely wiped out by the end of them.

But the day wasn't all grim - I did get up and write for just a little bit before work, which was delightful. I had leftover enchiladas for dinner, and I had pho for lunch, so at least I ate some tasty things (and my taste buds seem very unaffected). Some fantastic writer friends sent me flowers, which are exactly what I need. And I ended the day by spending some time reading SWEEP IN PEACE, the second book in the magical innkeeper series that I started last week - it's only 9pm, and I'm not ready to go to bed yet, but I am perhaps ready to crawl into bed and read a few more chapters before making myself go to sleep earlier than usual. We shall see, we shall see. Goodnight!

nobody knows any better, anyway

I have nothing of note to report - I'm feeling slightly better tonight, but I had a headache most of the afternoon. Again, it's unclear whether that's covid or my life, but I'm pretty sure it's covid. I'm still not working at 100% capacity, but no one else is either, so I think I can take it easy-ish for another couple of days and hopefully be fully recovered by the weekend.

So, that's all, really - I worked, ate some salmon on toast for lunch, and made some enchiladas for dinner. That was super easy, since I'd made them a couple of weeks ago and frozen them, so I just pulled them out of the freezer this morning and cooked them tonight. Somewhere in there I took a nap, which was v. needed. And I should have gone to bed, or at least gotten off my laptop, hours ago, but I distracted myself with looking at things for my Iowa house, which is not urgent but is certainly fun.

And now, I really need to sleep - I do unfortunately have a couple of meetings that I have to be "on" for tomorrow, which means I should probably wash my hair and perhaps wear something other than a sweatshirt. We shall see, we shall see. Goodnight!

sit back and wave through the daylight

I went back to work today, but it's pretty much impossible to tell how much of my malaise is covid vs. how much is just that I would rather be watching Queer Eye than doing my job. I was pretty tired all day, however - I took a shower for the first time in a few days, and that was enough to make me want to take a nap. So I canceled all non-essential meetings, and I took a break in the middle of the day to enjoy my lunch like a normal human + take a nap before the next round of work.

This evening was more of my general relaxing, which I'm getting somewhat cranky about - not that relaxing is bad, but I'm quite tired of my living room. But I ate the last of some leftover Indian food, watched an episode of Queer Eye, sat around, procrastinated, and then took care of a few minor tasks online. And now, I'm tired but don't feel like sleeping, but should probably try anyway. Goodnight!

wear it out, it's getting hot, crack a window, air it out

I am almost entirely recovered from the 'rona, but I occasionally get hit with a blast of fatigue that makes me want to lie down. I only took one nap today (after the herculean effort of finally unpacking my last suitcase from Iowa three weeks ago), but I probably could have / should have taken three. Overall, though, I feel a lot better than I did a couple of days ago, so I would say I continue to be on the mend.

Because of the fatigue, though, I did basically nothing today. I made some coffee, which was the extent of my culinary endeavors. I wrote in my journal, which was nice, and spent a lot of time on my phone, which was less nice. Eventually, I talked to my parents, who were mostly in fine form - my mom seems mostly recovered from whatever she had before, so hopefully they both stay on the mend. I also talked to [censored] for a bit, which was entertaining as usual. And I watched the last couple of minutes of the Chiefs / Bills game, which means I got to see two touchdowns and a field goal, which should not be what one sees in the last couple of minutes of a game.

And now, I think I'll try to go to bed early (for me) - I'm going to do some work tomorrow, but I expect that I will not be fully #inittowinit and will need to take some naps along the way. Goodnight!

some color on monochrome

I'm feeling quite a bit better today - still fatigued enough that I needed a nap this afternoon, and still a bit headachy, but overall much improved. My fitbit also shows that things are getting better in terms of both sleep and heart rate, so that's exciting. I'm definitely not 100%, but I'm also getting very tired of sitting around, so I don't quite know what to do with that other than forcing myself to continue taking it easy.

However, I did do a load of laundry so that I could wear my favorite most comfy things again, and I also trimmed my bangs since I couldn't really see through them anymore. And, I left my house for the first time in a week - I had to mail a check, so I drove through the post office drop off and came home again. That was not a particularly exciting outing, but at least I got it done. I also got a few personal online tasks taking care of, and overall didn't feel quite so sluggish, so I'll take it.

I also took my aforementioned nap, and I took a quick shower, so I'd say the self-care is doing okay. In the evening, I ordered takeout Indian food (delish) and watched another three episodes of Queer Eye. It's just mindless enough that I don't have to worry about a plot or watch them in order, but the stories of the people they feature + the interactions they have while helping someone to rebuild / reshape their life are pretty lovely. So, perhaps I'll watch some more tomorrow - or perhaps I'll do something else before I get bored of this too.

And now, I need to sleep - I've been looking at screens too much, and I'm guessing that's a small contributing factor to my headache. Goodnight!

we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife

I've had a fairly miserable headache all day today, which is apparently an omicron thing (side note: somehow I don't think a tshirt that says "It's an Omicron thing" would sell very well, although it sounds catchy). Luckily, my sore throat is basically gone and my congestion is decreasing, so I feel like I'm on the mend. But the headache is a real aggravation, and I am tired enough that I took an hour nap this morning and took a two-hour nap this afternoon.

This was not, of course, what I wanted to be doing - I wanted to be well enough to pick up a couple of curbside things that have been waiting for me, and maybe cook something. I did shower, and I even shaved my legs, but that took basically all of my motivation for the day. It was snowing lightly most of the afternoon as well, so it was perfect for hanging out on my couch - which is all I did. I made some mac and cheese for lunch (I had other leftovers, but boxed mac and cheese was what I wanted), and I had leftover pizza for dinner, and otherwise I just alternated between napping and watching five episodes of Queer Eye.

So, with that very exciting time behind me, I think I should consider going to bed - goodnight!

spaceman, smoke show, scarecrow, geronimo

I still do not recommend getting covid. I think today was slightly better than yesterday - my throat isn't hurting quite so much, which is v. welcome. However, I've had a headache off and on all day - perhaps some of it is due to covid, but some of it is probably due to the day job. I took today off and I'm preemptively taking tomorrow as well - and I can't remember the last time I took four days in a row off for an infectious disease, so I guess this is not great.

But there was an issue at work that kind of blew up, and I felt like it was in my best longterm interests to fix it. That involved more screen time and more thinking than I was probably capable of, and I also had a video chat with my boss to discuss it, and all of that was just a bit too much. But it's fixed and I don't have to do anything tomorrow other than perhaps answer a couple of last minute questions, so hopefully I can sleep as much as I want. I only got one hour-long nap today and it definitely wasn't enough. When I wasn't working, I mostly showered, snacked, stared into space, texted, and stared into space some more. I also had a quick chat with Terry and Lauren (aka Subz) - luckily I'll see them soon enough in person, since Terry's third wedding attempt is coming up in March. I'm desperate for some San Francisco time and will be superimmune by then, so that's keeping me going.

When I was fully done with work stuff, I zoned out on my couch, drank a Sprite (beverage of invalid champions), and watched a couple of episodes of Queer Eye, which cheered me up immensely. And now, I need to get some sleep - goodnight!

i can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire

I'm still sick; perhaps this blog will become a plague journal like so many great plague journals that have gone before. I don't know that I'm any worse, necessarily, than I was yesterday - but my throat is sore enough that it makes it hard to sleep, so I'm tired and cranky and generally over it.

This meant that I didn't read a book, which is what I should have done - I mostly just alternated between napping, snacking, and doom scrolling, with a little journaling thrown in for the hell of it. I also did a wee bit of day job stuff tonight - that definitely wasn't what I wanted to do, but someone else on my team is also sick and so a thing that's due tomorrow is dangerously close to slipping through the cracks, and so I decided I should probably do something about it.

And now, I'm going to crawl into bed and see if I can sleep for more than two hours in a row before my throat wakes me up (or before I have to pee because I drank too much water / tea to keep my throat soothed today). Goodnight!

i have five clocks in my life and only one has the time right

Well, it's official - the 'rona finally got me. I don't know where or how, and I never will, but sometime last week it slipped through my defenses. I started feeling sick on Saturday night and my test then was negative, but my most recent test was positive. So far it doesn't approach the lofty heights (or, more accurately, deepest trenches) of my worst colds, but it doesn't feel like a picnic either. It doesn't help that Colorado is super dry, so my throat turns to fire if I'm not regularly drinking something - which is what happens when I sleep, so I woke up this morning feeling like death.

Luckily, approximately forty ounces of water helped, as did a whole liter of hot tea over the course of the morning. I also found some Sudafed (the real behind-the-counter stuff) in my bathroom, where Past Sara had stockpiled it during the early days of the apocalypse; luckily it doesn't expire for a few months, and it saved me.

So, I took today off and mostly sat around the house doing nothing. I did order some chicken pho, which was exactly what I needed - I'm glad I gave pho another try after not really liking it when first exposed to it twenty years ago, because it turns out that pho is basically gluten free chicken noodle soup (with rice noodles instead of wheat noodles), and that was what my body wanted. I also took two naps. And I talked to my parents to update them on my status, which was a real sacrifice in between naps (but my voice held up just fine). I also took a shower, which revived me somewhat.

I spent the evening glomming another Ilona Andrews book - this time the first book in her Innkeeper series (CLEAN SWEEP), about a magical inn in some small town in Texas. I'm trying to triangulate on the kind of world I want to build for the project I'm writing, and this put marker in the field of my imagination. I'm taking tomorrow off too, and I fully intend to glom something else, but we'll see what I find.

And now, I need to sleep - sleep, tea, and books are about all I can handle right now, but I think that's exactly what I need. Goodnight!

with their lips on fire and your head unscrewed

I had the day off today, and since I'm still not feeling well, I spent it indulging in not-feeling-well things. That meant that I spent the morning drinking tea and journaling, which was pretty relaxing. I also ordered Instacart groceries, mostly so I could get ice cream (success - I never eat ice cream, but it felt like something I should have today) and orange juice (not a success - they subbed 'light' orange juice for regular, which is an abomination of stevia). But the ice cream was worth it and I got some fresh Emergen-C packets, so all in all it was worth it.

I didn't do much this afternoon, either - I took a nap at some point, which was great. And I spent the evening reading a whole book in one sitting - Ilona Andrews' MAGIC BITES, which came out forever ago and I somehow never picked up. It's relevant to the type of world I might be building with my new project (a fledgling thing that is picking up steam, but I'm still deep in worldbuilding mode and trying to figure out how to shape it). Like I said, I read it in one sitting, with a break to eat some leftovers and another break to talk to [censored]. The book was great, and now I want to glom on to more of the series.

And perhaps that will happen tomorrow - I called in sick and canceled almost all of my meetings, hoping that more sleep will help me recover faster. We shall see, we shall see. I don't feel like death, which is an improvement over most colds I get, but I'm definitely congested and I don't want it to get worse. And with that in mind, I should probably go to bed rather than staying up late as is my instinct. Goodnight!